Across industries, senior executives say acquisition of artificial intelligence skills is essential for long-term career success, but workers still aren’t convinced, according to a Nov. 12 report from Kelly Services, a talent solutions provider.
In fact, 69% of executives said that ignoring or refusing to adopt AI poses a greater threat to an employee’s job than the technology itself. Beyond that, 59% said they’d replace workers who resist adopting AI tools.
However, only 47% of workers reported time savings from AI tools, and 32% said they aren’t seeing the benefits of AI, revealing a disconnect between leaders and employees on the impact of the technology, Chris Layden, CEO of Kelly, said in a statement.
“While leaders view AI as a smart upgrade, talent is split on whether it delivers the promised benefits or threatens their jobs,” Layden said. “Our research shows companies can only realize the full value of AI when people understand why it matters to the business, are trained to use the technology, and trust that it benefits their own roles.”
Workers may feel more anxiety about AI tools when a “leadership vacuum” exists and leaders don’t communicate about new tools, according to a Mercer report. To close the gap, leaders can invest in manager training, AI upskilling and workplace psychological safety around learning new skills, the report found.
In Kelly surveys of more than 6,000 professionals, executives said AI tools should free up extra time for employees to focus on collaboration, mentoring and knowledge-sharing. But 80% of executives said AI implementation has stalled because their teams lack the expertise to use AI tools effectively.
The Kelly report suggested employers close three interconnected gaps related to technology, talent and trust. Companies can only realize the full value of AI tools when workers understand why it matters, Layden said, trust the benefits for their own roles and receive training to use AI tools.
In particular, leaders can connect AI fluency to career development, address worker fears with hands-on demonstrations showing how AI tools help talent succeed and implement feedback loops to align leadership optimism with worker experience, the report recommended.
“Leaders should model how they leverage AI in their own roles, foster a culture where AI-powered problem solving is encouraged, and outline how acquiring AI skills will strengthen both the business and individual career opportunities,” Layden said.
Although 7 in 10 hiring managers say their companies are using AI, more than half also say their companies don’t have the resources to train their employees to use it effectively, according to a report from Express Employment Professionals and Harris Poll. Before employers offer those resources, though, they may need to address fears around AI and job security, the report noted.
Addressing these fears may be particularly important given that more than 4 in 10 companies plan to replace roles with AI, especially entry-level and operations roles, according to a Korn Ferry report. Although cutting these jobs may increase short-term savings, drying up this talent pipeline for future leaders could create a long-term leadership crisis, the report warned.