As HR leaders champion the integration of artificial intelligence across their enterprises, many face a known obstacle: pervasive employee fear of AI.
A new study from the ADP Research highlights the challenge: About 31% of the 38,000 global workers it surveyed report being scared, to some degree, that AI will replace their jobs. It’s a topic that even is getting attention from the White House: At a recent summit in D.C., Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged widespread fear of AI as he sought to make the case for ongoing tech advancements with limited regulations.
Despite persistent fear, ADP Research found that even more employees (50%) say they believe AI may have a positive impact on their job.
“AI seems to trigger a contradictory set of emotions: excitement at its potential and fear of its ultimate impact,” researchers write.
How can HR help bridge that gap? It may come down to addressing “anxiety about the unknown,” ADP found. For instance, 44% of those surveyed report having “no idea” how AI will change their job—a sentiment most common among upper-management leaders and the C-suite. The firm reports that, in some markets, fear of AI was just as high as workers’ uncertainty about its influence.
One key to minimizing employee anxiety over AI: Communicate
It’s a uniquely HR problem, says Dr. Mary Hayes, Research Director People and Performance, ADP Research, particularly given that employees who expressed fear of AI were twice as likely to experience high stress at work and more likely to be on the job hunt. Communication, Hayes says, is key to reducing employee anxiety about AI.
“HR, like leaders, can help employees understand how AI can benefit them in their job,” Hayes says. “Lack of knowledge often brings anxiety to workers—so, make sure they are in the know around all things AI.”
Transparency is equally important—including being open that leadership may not have all the answers about AI.
“Workers want certainty, but this could be a good opportunity for leaders to communicate (that) ‘We are figuring this out together,’ ” Hayes says, noting this approach can build trust. “Workers who express high trust with leaders and senior leaders are also the employees who welcome the future AI advances.”
At the recent IAMPHENOM Conference in Philadelphia hosted by Phenom, an intelligent talent experience platform provider, several CHROs addressed how they are confronting ongoing employee fear of AI to move the needle forward on tech integration and adoption. Here is how they are handling it:
Become a ‘student of AI’
Ivory Harris, CHRO of agricultural machinery manufacturer AGCO, says she’s working to destigmatize the use of AI by teaching herself its ins and outs—including by leveraging Microsoft Copilot and developing her own AI agent (named Zachary).
“You have to be a credible voice on the learning journey,” Harris said.
Emphasize relatability
While many employees say they fear AI, most are already using the technology in their personal lives to some degree, says Rebecca True, CHRO of Pye-Barker Fire & Safety. She has highlighted the everyday uses of AI employees may already be looking to, such as email summaries.
“We take for granted how much technology we’re already using in our everyday lives,” she said. “Employees are already on an AI evolution in their personal lives, so make that analogy to their professional life.”
Prioritize simplicity
At Pye-Barker, the customer-facing side of the business is working to unify its products—fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire extinguishers—for one seamless customer journey that emphasizes simplicity. Similarly, leadership wants to streamline how employees use AI, so as not to “bombard” them with unknown tech, to the point that they “never know what to use for what.” Prioritize the AI use cases that will have the most impact on the business, she said.
Move in chunks
Louis Burrell, CHRO of Dallas College, noted that, given the pace of technological change happening today, he strategizes for tech impact in two-year increments.
“Move two years at a time. Think about what you need to do differently, what’s happening with AI,” he says.
Approaching AI “as a journey, not a destination” reduces the risk of overwhelm and helps “bring the team along,” he said.
Build skills
Dallas College employees have access to “a class for almost everything right now,” Burrell joked, noting the importance of connecting employees with practical AI skills to reduce uncertainty about the tech.
Such training should not only arm employees with the skills they need to leverage the tech in their respective jobs but also communicate how it can make their work easier and more fulfilling, he said.
Center empathy
It’s natural that “no one is more excited about change than those who are rolling out,” Harris said. But it’s important for leaders—prompted by HR—to remember that employees won’t get on board with change until they know their needs are being prioritized.
Harris is working to connect AI integration to other moments of change throughout the organization and to help employees understand how AI can fuel both the organizational “why” and their personal purpose.
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