AI is everywhere—in emails, slide decks, and calendars. But just because it’s omnipresent in workplaces doesn’t mean employees are embracing the tech. In fact, they could be doing just the opposite.
A new report by generative AI company Writer and research firm Workplace Intelligence reveals that 29% of workers surveyed across the U.S., U.K., and Europe admit to sabotaging their company’s AI strategy. The survey included 2,400 workers: 1,200 C-suite execs and 1,200 employees, ranging from individual contributors to managers/team leads.
The report details many forms of resistance. In some cases, employees said they have ignored guidelines, opted out of AI training, or flat-out refused to use AI tools. In more extreme situations, some admit to having fed sensitive company information to public, unapproved AI tools and even to tampering with performance metrics to make the tech seem less effective.
Among Gen Z workers surveyed, 44% admitted to having sabotaged their company’s AI rollout in some way. The report says there is “a strong undercurrent of resistance among younger workers,” which makes sense, considering young professionals have had to pivot and adapt to a tumultuous job market with limited entry-level positions. Because of this, Gen Z has had to AI-proof their careers, taking on side hustles or part-time work and even switching college majors due to AI.
According to the report, the reasons for pushback range from fear of job loss to dissatisfaction with their company’s AI tools or strategies to frustration from feeling that the tech has diminished their value and creativity.
Real-world stats prove those fears and frustrations are not without merit. In March, AI accounted for 25% of job cuts across the U.S. Additionally, a new report from Goldman Sachs shows that workers who are hit by AI-fueled job loss also take longer to find a new job.
The Writer-Workplace Intelligence survey reveals a significant disconnect between how employees and executives view the importance of AI literacy at work. While 24% of employees said they fear being laid off if they don’t become expert AI users, a majority (60%) of C-suite executives confirmed that they plan to lay off employees who can’t—or won’t—use AI.