New research by SnapLogic reveals that attitudes towards AI in the workplace are guided by individuals’ personality traits.
The survey showed that all respondents showed a good grasp of AI’s benefits: over half (54 per cent) of respondents said they thought using AI would save them time; 46 per cent said it would improve their productivity, and 37 per cent said it would reduce risk and errors in their work.
Respondents also revealed the main factors that would make them more likely to use artificial intelligence in their role, either now or in the future: 42 per cent wanted a better understanding of how AI would specifically benefit them in their role, while 36 per cent wanted a safety net to reduce the risk that they would make mistakes.
However, respondents’ personality scores revealed the underlying traits that dictated their views on AI. Respondents who scored low on the extraversion scale were more likely to embrace artificial intelligence and have fewer concerns about using it – compared to their high-extraversion colleagues, who expressed more reservations. Those who scored high on agreeableness and ‘openness to experience’ were more likely to worry about making mistakes when using AI.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents like the idea of using artificial intelligence in their role, either currently or in the future. However, respondents believe skills are an issue, with one-third of respondents claiming there are very few people within their organisation with the skills required to implement and use AI. 39 per cent said it would be hard to get everyone in their organisation to fully adopt AI; while 19 per cent were worried that they would not be able to work out how to use AI properly.
Compared to US and Australian respondents, UK respondents were slightly behind on some points. UK respondents were less likely to use AI in their current role (56 per cent vs an average of 62 per cent). UK respondents were less inclined to welcome the idea of using AI in their role, either currently or in future (61 per cent vs an average of 66 per cent with Australians leading the way at 72 per cent). UK organisations are, according to respondents, less likely to have the skills required to implement and use AI – with 41 per cent agreeing with this statement, vs an average of 34 per cent.
“The current business landscape is unpredictable, and that puts pressure on budgets and resources,” Jeremiah Stone, CTO of SnapLogic, said. “Business processes are adapting to a turbulent environment by using AI in very specific, practical ways to improve productivity. The biggest change is in mindset – seeing AI as a team mate, not a tool, working to support its more ‘senior’, human colleagues, who in turn mentor and coach it to reduce errors and improve its output.”
“Some employees may have reservations about artificial intelligence in the workplace, but the reality is that AI is already reshaping the way we work. To stay competitive, businesses need an empathic understanding of employees’ reservations so they can address them constructively.”
Business psychologist Danni Haig added: “Humans tend to cling onto information and behaviours that they know, which means they often reject new ways of working or adopting new skills. IT and business leaders should be understanding about AI scepticism and have a clear plan in place to address it, otherwise much-needed change is far less likely to happen.”
SnapLogic recently announced SnapGPT, the first-ever generative AI solution for enterprise applications and the modern data stack. The new addition to the SnapLogic platform leverages AI to quickly integrate and automate business processes using natural language prompts. SnapLogic has been a pioneer in incorporating AI and ML technology to simplify the integration, automation, and orchestration of data flows across the enterprise.
SnapLogic partnered with independent third-party research firm Censuswide to survey 910 mid-senior management workers within large enterprises across the UK, US and Australia to understand their views on AI in the workplace.
