A survey of over 9,000 employees in nine countries by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revealed insights about the role of new technologies in the workplace. The survey found that many working people are convinced that automation and robotisation will not necessarily lead to job losses.
Almost two years after the emergence of ChatGPT, the practical value of generative artificial intelligence is no longer in doubt within companies that have integrated this technology. Indeed, employees who use AI tools seem convinced of their productivity benefits, according to a recent US study. Several reports claim that millions of jobs are set to disappear by 2030 because of technological progress. These alarmist forecasts could lead working people to fear that they will ultimately be replaced by intelligent machines.
Now, a research team from the MIT has surveyed over 9,000 employees in nine countries on their perceptions of task automation and the proliferation of machine-based tools in the world of work. Workers seem convinced that automation and robotisation do not necessarily mean they’ll be replaced. In fact, 60% of employees who have worked in tandem with robots or AI tools expect these technologies to have a positive impact on their safety, productivity, and career development.
However, the researchers found that respondents’ degree of optimism varied from country to country. Workers in France, for example, are less confident than those in Australia and Spain about their future prospects: fewer of them believe that recent technological advances will help them progress professionally. Similarly, British workers are more sceptical than Italians and Poles about the supposed safety benefits of robots and AI. But the most distrustful are Americans, who believe automation and robotisation will harm their pay. They are also convinced that their jobs are likely to be threatened by the deployment of generative AI and robots.
Given the reputation of the US as a centre of technological innovation and a supporter of innovative advances, this pessimism toward the impact of technology on work is surprising,
the MIT researchers noted. Nationality aside, it seems employees’ level of job satisfaction has a major influence on their degree of optimism about automation and robotisation. Workers who are more satisfied in their jobs – as well as those who feel more valued by their employers – are more likely to see potential benefits of automation and new technologies for their work the study outlined. So, executives and managers have every interest in ensuring the wellbeing of their employees if they want them to make the most of the potential offered by new technologies.
FMT
