Nearly a Third of Employed Americans Would Feel More Comfortable Using AI at Work If Training Was Offered

One-in-four Employed Americans Think Use of AI Should Be in Job Description

With the rapidly increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, employed Americans are a bit wary of its expansion into their everyday jobs, and some are looking to their employers to help them develop the skills necessary to use these new technologies. According to a new survey from Yoh, a leading international talent and outsourcing company owned by Day & Zimmermann, nearly a third (30%) of employed Americans say they would feel more comfortable using AI for their jobs if they were offered training on how to use the technology. Further, 31% of employed Americans say they would take classes/seminars on how to use AI in their jobs if they were offered. This survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Yoh from July 9-11, 2024, among 1,249 adults ages 18 and older who are employed full or part time.

The survey also revealed that training on AI can be a powerful tool in the recruiting process as well. More than one-fifth (22%) of employed Americans say they would be more likely to work for an organization that offered AI training as part of its employee training program than one that did not, while 19% say they want to work for a company that integrates AI and automation software into the way they do business.

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On the other hand, AI is a concern for some employees, with the belief that employers should communicate the level of AI usage necessary for the job when dealing with potential candidates. Survey findings showed:

• 25% of employed Americans think the use of AI in any role should be included in the job description.
• 19% of employed Americans would want to know how often a company they are considering working for uses AI before accepting a position
• 17% of employed Americans are concerned about the level of AI they will be required to learn for their job in the future
• 17% of employed Americans are concerned about not knowing how to use AI in their job

“These survey results show that without offering proper levels of AI training throughout an organization, companies will have difficulty not only getting employees to feel comfortable using AI technologies in their day-to-day work but also in attracting new employees to their organization,” said Emmett McGrath, President of Yoh. “By investing in appropriate training and onboarding processes for AI, employers can increase job satisfaction, improve the effectiveness of their employees and enhance their recruiting and hiring efforts. AI is becoming more pervasive in the workplace, and employers owe it to their teams to give them the tools necessary to succeed in this new, tech-driven world.”

Additional survey findings include:

• Younger workers want to work for a company that integrates AI and automation software into the way they do business more than their older counterparts: Employees aged 18-34 (23%) and 35-44 (26%) are more than twice as likely as those aged 55-64 (9%) to say they want to work for a company that integrates AI and automation software into the way they do business.
• Employees with a higher household income are more likely to express increased comfort with training on AI technologies: Employees with a household income of $100K or more per year are more likely than those with a household income of less than $75K (24%) to say they would feel more comfortable using AI for their jobs if they were offered training on how to use the technology
• Younger employees more likely to desire hands-on learning with AI: Employees aged 18-34 (23%), aged 35-44 (31%) and aged 45-54 (25%) are more likely than those aged 55-64 (13%) to say they want their employer to provide opportunities for hands-on learning with AI compared to other age cohorts.
• Employees with college degree are more likely to take AI seminars / classes if offered: 38% of employees with a college degree say they would take classes/seminars on how to use AI in their job if they were offered, compared to 29% of employees with some college and 23% of employees with a high school diploma or less.

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