Some workers are worried using AI will make them look ‘lazy’: survey

AI use is fast becoming the norm in the workplace, but some workers are still worried that they’ll receive flak if their colleagues find out.

AI firm Anthropic and work management platform Asana released their new 2024 State of AI at Work report on Wednesday, which surveyed 5,007 knowledge workers in the U.S. and U.K. about their view of AI adoption in the workplace. Knowledge workers can be roughly described as expert white-collar workers who use analytical skills.

It found that over a quarter of workers surveyed were concerned that they’d be perceived as “lazy” if they used AI at work. Another 23% said they were afraid of being labeled “frauds” for using AI at work.

And a third said they’re worried that AI will replace humans altogether.

This is partly because companies are not providing clear guidelines around AI use in the workplace, Rebecca Hinds, head of Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, told CNBC Make It in an interview.

“That’s where we start to see the fear of the perception of laziness, the fear of the perception of feeling like a fraud most significantly, because the organizational context is not conducive to facilitating an environment where people feel empowered to use AI,” Hinds said.

Overall, generative AI adoption in the workplace is up, both in the U.S. and the U.K., according to the survey.

In the U.S., 57% of workers are using generative AI tools weekly, a jump from 46% just nine months ago. In the U.K., 48% of workers are using generative AI tools weekly — compared with 29% nine months ago.

Around 60% of workers across the U.S. and U.K. expect to use generative AI even more in the coming six months.

The high adoption rate is largely because workers are seeing improved productivity with 69% reporting higher productivity gains as a result.

There’s growing enthusiasm among workers to incorporate AI in their work, but they don’t feel particularly supported by their companies.

An overwhelming 82% of workers say their organization hasn’t provided any training for employees on using generative AI. That lack of communication could be driving workers’ worries about whether it’s acceptable for them to use AI at work.

In addition to incorporating policies around AI, companies also need to explain how AI will change workers’ roles, according to Hinds.

“Companies are not looking closely enough at the importance of principles as well, so not just what are you allowed to do with the technology but also, what’s the technology fundamentally aimed at doing, and what is the value of the technology for our specific work?” she said.

“How do we envision our new role as a human alongside this new transformative technology? That gives employees confidence.”

Meanwhile, there’s also a gap between executives and individual workers on perceptions of AI use.

Nearly a quarter of executives said their company has a designated budget for investing in generative AI tools for employees, according to the survey, but only 9% of workers said the same.

Additionally over two-thirds of executives feel enthusiastic about AI use in the workplace but only half of workers say the same — with concerns about being replaced driving these apprehensions.

Hinds explained that these fears are most present in companies in the early stages of incorporating AI.

“The stage four, and stage five companies that have started to implement guidelines have started to position AI as a teammate, not a tool. That’s when we see that the perceived threats really lessen in any organization,” she added.

Ultimately when companies provide more resources and training, workers can use AI in a more “psychologically safe” environment, according to Hinds.