While leader urgency around AI has sharply increased, more than 2 out of 3 workers have never used AI at work, according to data released by Slack’s Workforce Lab Sept. 4. The answer to encouraging AI use, however, may lie in understanding the five “AI personas,” Slack said, or the different ways workers may approach AI use.
“It’s very complicated,” Christina Janzer, SVP of research and analytics at Slack, said during a press call. “People are not experiencing AI in the same way,” she said, adding that individuals’ emotions toward AI may help employers predict which behaviors those employees may adopt toward the tool, be it experimentation or avoidance.
Slack surveyed over 5,000 full-time desk workers in the U.S., Australia, India, Singapore, Ireland and the U.K in August. Through that data, the company compiled respondents into the five different AI personas — and explained what employers can do for each group.
The Maximalist
This group, about 30% of those surveyed, are “all in on AI,” Janzer said; 63% of this group use it a couple times a week and 65% actively encourage others to use it. Nearly half told Slack that AI use is actively encouraged by their company.
This group tends to be young and quite often men, Janzer said. Around 4 in 5 maximalists are under 44.
This group could easily become AI evangelists for how their companies intend to use AI innovation. “Give them space to share the ways they are using AI with their colleagues,” Janzer recommended.
The Underground
This group — 20% of workers surveyed — said they AI, but they are “using it on the sly,” Janzer said. Notably, 43% of this group said their company does not encourage the use of AI at work, and 74% of this group said they do not share their AI usage with colleagues.
About 7 in 10 are under 44, Janzer added, and most of them tend to be men.
Other research has also shown that the majority of employees may be using generative AI with or without employer input or strategy, indicating this may be more common than employers believe.
The Rebel
This group comprised 19% of those surveyed; of those, 66% said they never use AI at work and almost as many said the technology is “a threat to society.” Close to 2 in 5 said it would be unfair if their colleagues used AI to complete their tasks.
In a demographic shift compared to the other groups, 3 in 5 rebels are women and more than half are over 45.
When asked why rebels are so often women in comparison to other groups, Janzer noted that trust is more often a concern for women than men. Women may also be more concerned about AI replacing their work compared to men, she said.
“We need to help recruit these rebels,” Janzer said. “They need a lot of support” to understand that AI can be a tool that increases productivity, she added.
The Superfan
This group — 16% of those surveyed — are “huge AI fans” but are cheering from the sidelines, Janzer said. This group is diverse in age, she added, signaling that AI curiosity spans all generations.
The key to their engagement? Set them up with trainings and encourage learning and sharing between colleagues to unlock their potential, Janzer said.
The Observer
This group also made up 16% of those surveyed — and two-thirds of them feel “indifferent” about AI, according to the report. That last third, however, is interested in learning about the tool and developing appropriate skills, Janzer said, which is how employers may be able to engage them.
Start small, and show these workers the value use cases of AI that “they can start to get their hands dirty with,” Janzer added.
What’s next?
The important thing to remember is that these personas “are not personality types,” Janzer said. “They are not permanent.”
Employees can easily move from one persona to another with the right engagement tactic, she added.
The report recommended employers take several steps to advance AI adoption. First, it said, establish clear AI guidance from the employer — guidance that not only gives permission but provides use cases and training opportunities.
Second, employers should work to bring AI out into the open. Make AI use visible to teams so that employees can learn and share from each other, it recommended.
And finally, create a culture of experimentation. Employees need to feel safe to experiment with the tools on hand, the report said, “and that depends on trust.”
