A new study from Slack, the workplace messaging platform owned by Salesforce, reveals surprising findings: nearly half of workers – 48%, to be precise – prefer to keep their use of artificial intelligence hidden from their managers.
The data shows that a fear of appearing "less competent" or lazy, as well as a reluctance to disclose reliance on AI, leads many employees to hide their use of AI tools, even if it means forgoing systems that could make their work more efficient. The survey, conducted with over 17,000 employees worldwide, indicates that, while managers generally support AI use, employee adoption has slowed for the first time in recent memory. Workers worry their managers will simply increase their workload instead of allowing them to use the extra time for professional development or more creative tasks.
The study also highlights significant training gaps: 61% of employees have spent less than five hours learning about AI, and 30% have had no training at all. Additionally, while managers expect to see an increase in AI use at work, employees report a decrease in enthusiasm around the technology over the past three months.
A slowdown in AI adoption worldwide
The survey suggests a slowdown in AI adoption among employees globally, particularly in the U.S., where, despite the emphasis business leaders place on AI integration, adoption rates rose just 1% – from 32% to 33%.
Why does this matter? McKinsey, a leading consulting firm, estimates that AI could generate global economic gains of $4.4 trillion per year. Moreover, previous Salesforce research found that sales teams using AI are 1.3 times more likely to achieve revenue growth than teams that do not.
The impact of the 'AI generation'
The research uncovers another interesting trend affecting workplace dynamics: While some veteran employees remain wary of the technology, younger workers are enthusiastically embracing AI, believing their skills in the field surpass those of older colleagues.
In fact, 68% of workers believe recent college graduates have higher AI skills than their more experienced peers, with younger workers often turning to AI for professional help over asking colleagues. This shift could potentially reduce social connections within organizations.
“Right now, too much of the burden falls on employees to figure out how to use AI,” said Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics. She added, “Organizations need to offer tailored training and foster open dialogue about AI use to help employees overcome the ambiguity and fear surrounding this critical technology and its tools.”
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The survey was conducted by Qualtrics and included 17,372 office workers from 15 different countries during August 2024.