A comprehensive new survey from Slack has uncovered troubling trends in workplace AI adoption, revealing a significant disconnect between executive enthusiasm and worker engagement. The study, which surveyed over 17,000 desk workers across 15 countries between August 2-30, 2024, paints a picture of stalling AI adoption rates and declining worker excitement despite continued executive investment.
Key findings show that AI excitement among workers has dropped six percentage points globally over just three months. Most dramatically, US workers reporting excitement about AI helping them complete tasks plummeted from 45% to 36%. Meanwhile, actual AI adoption rates in the US barely budged, increasing only from 32% to 33% among desk workers.
This stagnation comes even as 99% of surveyed executives say they plan to invest in AI this year, with 97% feeling “some level of urgency” to integrate AI into business operations. Christina Janzer, head of Slack’s Workforce Lab, called the plateauing growth a “real wakeup call” for leaders.
The survey revealed significant workplace culture issues around AI use. Nearly half (48%) of desk workers said they would feel uncomfortable admitting to their manager that they use AI for tasks like writing messages or brainstorming. Workers expressed concerns about being perceived as “less competent” or lazy, with 47% feeling that using AI was “cheating.” This hesitancy likely stems from unclear workplace policies—a previous Slack survey found that 2 in 5 employees reported their workplace has no AI policy.
Training gaps present another major challenge. The survey found that 61% of workers have spent less than five hours learning how to use AI, while 30% have received no AI instruction whatsoever. This lack of preparation is particularly concerning given that a 2023 World Economic Forum report estimated 44% of workers’ skills will be “disrupted” within five years.
Interestingly, workers worry that AI-generated time savings will simply increase their workload rather than provide relief. When asked what they would do with time saved by AI, respondents said they would spend those hours on even more administrative tasks—the very category where AI assistance is most effective.
Generational differences also emerged, with Gen Z and millennial workers showing greater willingness to consult AI instead of colleagues. Among AI users, 81% said they ask AI for assistance rather than a friend or peer, with 30% of Gen Zers and 33% of millennials frequently choosing AI over human colleagues.
Key Quotes
The stalling growth in AI usage and interest is a ‘real wakeup call’ for leaders.
Christina Janzer, head of Slack’s Workforce Lab, emphasized the significance of plateauing AI adoption rates despite massive executive investment. This statement highlights the urgent need for leadership to address the disconnect between their AI ambitions and worker reality.
48% of surveyed desk workers said they would be ‘uncomfortable’ admitting to their manager that they’re using AI for at least one of those activities.
This finding reveals a troubling workplace culture where employees fear judgment for using AI tools. Workers expressed concerns about being viewed as less competent or lazy, with 47% feeling that using AI was ‘cheating,’ indicating a fundamental misunderstanding of AI’s role as a productivity tool.
Our Take
This survey exposes the harsh reality that AI implementation is failing at the human level. Executives are making the classic mistake of focusing on technology deployment while ignoring change management, training, and cultural transformation. The 6-percentage-point drop in worker excitement over just three months is alarming and suggests that early AI experiences are disappointing or confusing workers rather than empowering them.
The secrecy around AI use is particularly damaging—it prevents knowledge sharing, best practice development, and organizational learning. Companies need clear AI policies that encourage experimentation rather than creating fear. The training gap is inexcusable given the resources being poured into AI tools themselves.
Most tellingly, workers’ expectation that AI will simply increase their workload reveals that organizations haven’t articulated a compelling vision for how AI should improve work life. Without addressing these fundamental issues, the current wave of workplace AI adoption may fail to deliver on its promise, wasting billions in investment and creating worker resentment that could hamper future initiatives.
Why This Matters
This survey represents a critical inflection point for workplace AI adoption and reveals a dangerous disconnect between C-suite ambitions and ground-level reality. While executives pour resources into AI initiatives, the lack of worker buy-in, inadequate training, and unclear policies threaten to undermine these investments entirely.
The findings suggest that the initial hype cycle around workplace AI is giving way to practical concerns about job security, competence perception, and workload management. The fact that nearly half of workers feel uncomfortable admitting AI use to managers indicates a toxic culture of secrecy that could stifle innovation and prevent organizations from realizing AI’s full potential.
The massive training gap—with 61% of workers receiving less than five hours of AI instruction—represents a ticking time bomb as AI capabilities rapidly advance. Organizations risk creating a two-tier workforce of AI-proficient and AI-illiterate employees, exacerbating inequality and limiting productivity gains.
Perhaps most concerning is workers’ expectation that AI time savings will simply mean more work rather than improved work-life balance or opportunities for skill development. This suggests that without intentional policy changes, AI may accelerate burnout rather than alleviate it, fundamentally undermining the technology’s promise to enhance human work.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/slack-survey-desk-workers-interesting-takeaways-ai-usage-2024-11