REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Oct. 15,
2019 /PRNewswire/ -- People have more trust in robots
than their managers, according to the second annual AI at Work
study conducted by Oracle and Future Workplace, a research firm
preparing leaders for disruptions in recruiting, development and
employee engagement. The study of 8,370 employees, managers and HR
leaders across 10 countries, found that AI has changed the
relationship between people and technology at work and is reshaping
the role HR teams and managers need to play in attracting,
retaining and developing talent.
AI is Changing the Relationship Between People and Technology
at Work
Contrary to common fears around how AI will impact
jobs, employees, managers and HR leaders across the globe are
reporting increased adoption of AI at work and many are welcoming
AI with love and optimism.
- AI is becoming more prominent with 50 percent of workers
currently using some form of AI at work compared to only 32 percent
last year. Workers in China (77
percent) and India (78 percent)
have adopted AI over 2X more than those in France (32 percent) and Japan (29 percent).
- The majority (65 percent) of workers are optimistic, excited
and grateful about having robot co-workers and nearly a quarter
report having a loving and gratifying relationship with AI at
work.
- Workers in India (60 percent)
and China (56 percent) are the
most excited about AI, followed by the UAE (44 percent),
Singapore (41 percent),
Brazil (32 percent), Australia/New
Zealand (26 percent), Japan
(25 percent), U.S. (22 percent), UK (20 percent) and France (8 percent).
- Men have a more positive view of AI at work than women with 32
percent of men optimistic vs. 23 percent of women.
Workers Trust Robots More Than Their Managers
The
increasing adoption of AI at work is having a significant impact on
the way employees interact with their managers. As a result, the
traditional role of HR teams and the manager is shifting.
- 64 percent of people would trust a robot more than their
manager and half have turned to a robot instead of their manager
for advice.
- Workers in India (89 percent)
and China (88 percent) are more
trusting of robots over their managers, followed by Singapore (83 percent), Brazil (78%), Japan (76 percent), UAE (74 percent),
Australia/New Zealand (58 percent), U.S. (57 percent),
UK (54 percent) and France (56
percent).
- More men (56 percent) than women (44 percent) have turned to AI
over their managers.
- 82% of people think robots can do things better than their
managers.
- When asked what robots can do better than their managers,
survey respondents said robots are better at providing unbiased
information (26 percent), maintaining work schedules (34 percent),
problem solving (29 percent) and managing a budget (26
percent).
- When asked what managers can do better than robots, workers
said the top three tasks were understanding their feelings (45
percent), coaching them (33 percent) and creating a work culture
(29 percent).
AI is Here to Stay: Organizations Need to Simplify and Secure
AI to Stay Competitive
The impact of AI at work is only
just beginning and in order to take advantage of the latest
advancements in AI, organizations need to focus on simplifying and
securing AI at work or risk being left behind.
- 76 percent of workers (and 81 percent of HR leaders) find it
challenging to keep up with the pace of technological changes in
the workplace.
- Workers want a simplified experience with AI at work, asking
for a better user interface (34 percent), best practice training
(30 percent) and an experience that is personalized to their
behavior (30 percent).
- Security (31 percent) and privacy (30 percent) are the main
concerns preventing workers from using AI at work.
- Digital natives Gen Z (43 percent) and Millennials (45 percent)
are more concerned about privacy and security at work than Gen X
(29 percent) and Baby Boomers (23 percent).
Supporting quotes
"The latest advancements in machine learning and artificial
intelligence are rapidly reaching mainstream, resulting in a
massive shift in the way people across the world interact with
technology and their teams. As this study shows, the relationship
between humans and machines is being redefined at work, and there
is no one-size-fits-all approach to successfully managing this
change. Instead, organizations need to partner with their HR
organization to personalize the approach to implementing AI at work
in order to meet the changing expectations of their teams around
the world," said Emily He, SVP,
Human Capital Management Cloud Business Group, Oracle
"Over the past two years we've found that workers have become
more optimistic as they've adopted AI in the workplace and HR is
leading the way. The 2019 study shows that AI is redefining not
only the relationship between worker and manager, but also the role
of a manager in an AI-driven workplace. Based on the findings,
managers will remain relevant in the future if they focus on being
human and using their soft skills, while leaving the technical
skills and routine tasks to robots," said Dan Schawbel, Research Director at Future
Workplace.
"Our 2019 results reveal that forward looking companies are
already capitalizing on the power of AI," said Jeanne Meister
Founding Partner, Future Workplace. "As workers and managers
leverage the power of artificial intelligence in the workplace,
they are moving from fear to enthusiasm as they see the possibility
of being freed of many of their routine tasks and having more time
to solve critical business problems for the enterprise."
Learn more about this global study here.
Methodology
Research findings are based on a global survey conducted by
Savanta between July 2 to August 9,
2019. In total, 8,370 completed the survey. The study was
administered online and fielded in 10 different countries (and in
six languages). Permanent full-time employees between the ages 18 –
74 years old were eligible to participate. The survey targeted HR
Leaders, Managers and Employees. Respondents are recruited through
a number of different mechanisms, via different sources to join the
panels and participate in market research surveys. All panelists
have passed a double opt-in process and complete on average 300
profiling data points prior to taking part in surveys. Respondents
are invited to take part via email and are provided with a small
monetary incentive for doing so.
About Oracle
The Oracle Cloud offers a complete suite of integrated
applications for Sales, Service, Marketing, Human Resources,
Finance, Supply Chain and Manufacturing, plus Highly Automated and
Secure Generation 2 Infrastructure featuring the Oracle Autonomous
Database. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please
visit us at oracle.com.
About Future Workplace
Future Workplace is an executive development firm dedicated to
rethinking and re-imagining the workplace. Future Workplace works
with heads of talent management, human resources, corporate
learning, and diversity to prepare for the changes impacting
recruitment, employee development, and engagement. Future Workplace
is host to the 2020 Workplace Network, an Executive Council that
includes 50 plus heads of Corporate Learning, Talent, and Human
Resources who come together to discuss debate and share "next"
practices impacting the workplace and workforce of the future. For
more information, please
visit: http://www.futureworkplace.com.
Trademarks
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks
of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of
their respective owners.
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SOURCE Oracle