As employers continue to embrace AI in the workplace, almost a fifth (17 percent) of employees are worried about AI making errors, a survey has found.
The poll of 1,023 British employees, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Acas, asked people what their biggest concerns were about the use of AI.
In addition to concerns about AI errors, results showed that 15 percent of employees are concerned about a lack of regulation, while over a quarter (26 percent) of workers are worried that the evolving technology will lead to job cuts.
Dan Ellis, interim chief executive at Acas, said: “Some employers may be looking to embrace new technologies as a way to cut costs, increase productivity or make workers’ jobs easier.
“There can be concerns from staff when new technologies are introduced at work and it’s clear from our study that their biggest worry is that AI will result in job losses.
“Bosses should have clear policies on the use of AI at work, remember that it is not a perfect technology and have open conversations with employees around its use.”
The conciliation body offered the following tips for workplace use of AI.
- Employers should develop clear policies regarding the use of AI in the workplace and should consult employees and any representatives on its introduction. If there is an expectation that certain roles begin using AI, that could mean a change of terms and conditions.
- Employers investing in AI should highlight how it can improve employees’ roles and reassure staff that human involvement will still be needed.
- Organisations should remember that AI is not perfect, so outputs should be checked for accuracy, tone and bias. AI should be cited when used and staff may require training on how to get the best outputs.
- A company’s data privacy policies will apply for the use of AI, and it is wise to check with your IT team for approved platforms. Employees should be careful entering any information that is business sensitive or personal into public tools. Any information that you do enter could be made public or used by others, so check company policies on the use of AI in the workplace and be aware of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
