The promise of AI to boost worker productivity has not materialized, according to a new survey. Since the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI in 2022, the number of AI enterprise tools has surged, with many executives hoping these tools will make their workers more efficient. However, a survey by the freelancing platform UpWork reveals a stark contrast - 77% of employees say AI tools have actually made them less productive and added to their workload. Around half of the surveyed employees also admitted they have no idea how to achieve the productivity gains their employers expect.
This employee feedback stands in stark contrast to the optimistic views of the surveyed executives, nearly all of whom said they expect AI tools to increase worker productivity. Just over a third of the C-suite leaders surveyed said they have started mandating the use of some AI tools.
The disconnect between employers and employees comes at a time when relations are increasingly fraught. As the economy slows and unemployment rises, more employees are choosing to stay in their current jobs rather than seek new opportunities. Concurrently, many executives, influenced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's "year of efficiency" changes, have started demanding more from their workers, with 81% of those surveyed by UpWork doing so.
The implementation of AI tools as productivity boosters at major companies, such as JPMorgan Chase's AI-based "research analyst" chatbot, may be complicated by the technological skills of older workers. A Pew Research survey found that the U.S. workforce has more employees over 65 than ever before, and those aged 55 and older will make up a quarter of the workforce in less than a decade, according to an analysis from Bain & Co.
The increasing demands of employers and the shift to incorporate AI are already weighing on employees, with more than half of workers saying they struggle with employer demands and are burnt out, according to the UpWork survey.