IT and tech professionals are leading the way on AI adoption in the workplace – with almost all of them saying it’s been a force for good.
New research, from The Access Group shows that 74% now use the technology, which saves them, on average, just under three hours a week. Around 96% believe it has had a positive impact on their workplace, and 89% say it’s improved standards.
The Access Group surveyed employees in 12 industries and professions – and found that half use AI today. Tech came top, then HR at 68%, while the not-for-profit, and health and social care sectors ranked lowest with 29% and 30% respectively.
Tech employees cited reduced workloads as the biggest benefit of AI, followed by improved productivity and better customer service.
Top five benefits of AI according to tech professionals:
- Reduce workloads (54%)
- Helps productivity (46%)
- Better customer service (42%)
- Saves the business money (40%)
- Improves work-life balance (38%)
ChatGPT is also the most popular AI tool, used by around 70% of respondents – significantly higher than the all-sector average of 55%. Around 78% also said generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, have relieved stress around their job or workload.
Oliver Quayle, Senior Group Director, at The Access Group, said:
“IT and tech teams are at the forefront of the AI revolution in the workplace, so it’s not surprising that they come out on top in our survey. Many have seen how the technology has rapidly evolved over the past few years, and are hungry to put it into action – whether in their own coding, or in applications that benefit their customers.”
However, the survey also uncovered a number of potentially worrying trends among tech professionals.
Around 83% admit they’ve used generative AI to complete tasks they were meant to do themselves, and 45% say it to get ahead in a way they wouldn’t tell their boss about. This is despite more than half of all respondents in the sector having concerns about data security, as well as privacy (34%), and inaccurate results (33%).
Marko Perisic, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at The Access Group, said:
“AI has taken off in a way that few people could have imagined – but left unchecked it can lead to some employees using it irresponsibly. Sometimes this is down to lack of training about the potential security risks but, according to our survey, a high proportion use it covertly to do their job for them, which is unfair on their colleagues and customers.
“Construction teams need a vendor who offers the highest data protection standards. Our new AI experience, Access Evo, encourages employees to innovate, while giving them peace of mind that all information is stored in a secure and private environment and not used to train other open AI systems. Approved AI tools like these, underpinned by clear and regularly-updated policies and training, can help everyone to deliver a better standard of service, and get ahead in their careers without compromising company data.”
The full research can be found here: www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/evo/insights.
For more information about Access Evo, The Access Group’s new AI solution for businesses, visit www.theaccessgroup.com/en-gb/evo.
