According to a survey conducted by Qualtrics, Australian employees are less likely to feel enabled to use AI than their global counterparts. The survey, which included responses from 2,040 Australian employees, found that only 35% of employees believe their organisation is providing them with the necessary AI training and enablement to succeed. This is significantly lower than the global result of 52%.

The report also revealed that only 38% of Australian companies have AI guidelines, ethics, or principles in place, compared to 52% globally. Additionally, only 58% of local workers believe business decision makers understand AI technologies well enough to manage them effectively.

Cecelia Herbert, principal behavioural scientist at Qualtrics, believes that employee resistance is not the main barrier to workplace progress with AI. In fact, more than half of Australian employees are already using AI tools they have found themselves, with 32% using them daily or weekly. The real issue, according to Herbert, is the lack of tools, training, and guidance provided by employers.

Herbert also highlighted the fact that 60% of the workforce is predicted to have their jobs significantly impacted by AI technologies. However, the survey results show that only 35% of employees are receiving the necessary training and enablement to use these tools effectively.

One of the reasons for this disconnect is that Australian employers are not consulting their employees enough on AI-induced changes to their work. Only 44% of respondents said they were involved in deciding how their job will be done in the future, compared to 59% globally. This lack of involvement and guidance has led to lower levels of optimism and higher levels of skepticism among Australian employees about AI’s impact on their work.

In order to address these issues, Herbert recommends that employers take an employee-centric approach to rolling out AI. This includes involving employees in decision-making processes, providing them with the necessary training and enablement, and ensuring they have clear guidelines and principles in place for using AI. By doing so, employers can avoid resistance to future innovation initiatives and ensure that AI is used effectively to drive productivity and efficiency in the workplace.