In July, GKI conducted a survey of 1,000 people, representative of the population, to gauge the prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI).
Why do we not use AI at work?
Nearly half of employees make no use of artificial intelligence in their jobs. Among those who never or only rarely employ AI, 30% say they cannot see how it would assist their work, while 31% consider it irrelevant to their role. A similar share (29%) avoid AI because they lack the necessary technical knowledge.[1]
Formal or organisational barriers – such as workplace bans on AI or an organizational culture that does not support its use – pose a problem for only a small minority of respondents (5-7%). In other words, the main obstacles to adoption lie less in institutional prohibition but rather in a lack of personal knowledge and motivation. This suggests considerable potential in training employees whose roles are relevant: on the one hand, appropriate education could quickly expand the user base; on the other, such training might help workers recognise that AI could, in fact, assist them in a wide range of tasks.
Why do you not use Artificial Intelligence at Work? (%)[2]
Source: GKI survey
What Does the Demography Reveal?
Differences between the sexes are limited to a few areas: men tend to be more sceptical about AI’s usefulness than women, while women more often feel they lack the technical knowledge to use it. This is particularly striking given that usage rates between the two genders are broadly similar.
Among younger respondents, a lack of technological know-how is less often cited as a barrier, whereas it is more common among older age groups. Correspondingly, only a small fraction of those over 50 report that organisational culture inhibits their use of AI.
Why do you not use Artificial Intelligence at Work?
(by Age Group, %)[3]
Source: GKI survey
Barriers vary significantly across occupational groups. Among independent professionals who do not use AI, the largest share (56%) cite a lack of technical skills as the main obstacle. Conversely, this group is the least likely to say that AI would not assist their work.
Entrepreneurs who avoid AI tend to be more confident in their technical knowledge, yet a majority (64%) do not see how AI could benefit their work. Corporate leaders complain most frequently about the absence of supportive organisational culture (13%) and restrictive company regulations (17%) as barriers to adoption.
Surprisingly, only 1% of office workers in the public sector report workplace regulations as a barrier to AI adoption (compared with 7% in the private sector) and just 9% cite organisational culture as an impediment.
The positive impact of AI on productivity is evident. Our survey suggests that internal factors (such as lack of technical knowledge, a deficit of trust, and scepticism about its applications) are the main obstacles to the wider workplace adoption of artificial intelligence. In the long run, it will be those companies – and ultimately countries – that succeed in implementing new technologies like AI that remain competitive. Essential to this is a robust training infrastructure, whether at the corporate or governmental level.
[1] Respondents could select multiple answers, so the total percentage exceeds 100%.
[2] Among those who never or rarely use AI (64% of all respondents).
[3] Among those who never or rarely use AI.
