Employees say tech is making work easier, but some fear replacement

Dive Brief:

Seventy-six percent of workers whose workplaces support advanced technologies such as robot workers and artificial intelligence (AI) said the tech has made their jobs easier, according to a study from MindEdge/Skye Learning released Feb. 10. Still, 57% of the 1,017 respondents polled said they think such technologies "are bad for American workers." Slightly fewer said they disagree that robots make better workers than humans.
Nearly half of respondents (44%) in newly automated workplaces reported that technology has taken over portions of their jobs. Also, 41% of respondents said they think technology will create more jobs than it eliminates. Forty-seven percent said they disagree.
"There is no question that technology is transforming the workplace," Frank Connolly, director of communications and research at MindEdge/Skye Learning, said in a news release. "Continuing to advance and upskill human knowledge through continuous learning is a key tool to reinforce employee confidence and engagement in an environment of advanced automation."

Dive Insight:

AI is conjuring up a range of viewpoints among employers and workers, as the MindEdge/Skye survey showed. Its potential uses could have greater benefits for society at-large. A report released at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month described AI's potential in addressing poverty, climate change, endemic diseases and even terrorism. The report warned employers, however, that AI will need to be implemented with caution, so as to not worsen the global digital divide.

A report from the Hackett Group points to the efficiencies automation has granted HR. According to the report, automation can help HR reduce its costs by 17% and operate with 26% less staffing. In fact, the report concluded that "world-class" HR organizations operate at a 20% lower cost than non-digital ones, and that it employs 31% fewer workers for the services they need to provide. Despite this, most of the employees in a Yoh survey (69%) said AI has no place in the hiring process.