Generative AI: Threat or Opportunity?

New technologies often bring a mix of fear and excitement. Employees may worry that technology will eliminate their jobs, or they may be thrilled that a machine will take over mundane tasks.

Generative AI (GenAI) has triggered these emotions more than any other technology in recent years. It goes beyond automation, calculation, and data processing to take on the analytical aspects of work. If knowledge workers are paid to think, will they lose their jobs to machines that can think for them?

Turns out, few workers feel that way. In a 2023 PwC survey of 54,000 workers:

• 18 percent said they don’t feel confident they can learn the new skills that AI will require.

• 14 percent said AI will negatively impact the nature of their work.

• 13 percent said AI will replace their jobs.

Far more workers are concerned that their peers with AI skills will take their jobs. In a recent D2L report, 43 percent of workers said they are worried that another employee with GenAI skills would replace them. However, 49 percent said they use GenAI tools at least once a week, and 60 percent want to use them more often.

In the PwC study, 52 percent of respondents had at least one positive thing to say about AI:

• 31 percent said it would increase efficiency and productivity.

• 27 percent said it would give them a chance to learn new skills.

• 21 percent said it would create new job opportunities.

GenAI has a lot to offer today’s workers, who spend most of their time hunting for information and trying to keep up with the barrage of emails, chat messages and meetings. GenAI can reduce the “noise” so workers can focus on more creative and innovative tasks. GenAI:

• Dramatically reduces the time spent searching for information.

• Cuts the time spent in meetings and answering emails and chats.

• Breaks through writer’s block by generating the first draft of a document.

• Prioritizes information according to relevance.

• Eliminates busy work so quality work can be produced faster.

If you’re looking to use GenAI for your job, be sure to inform your employer. Learn your organization’s policies regarding GenAI privacy and security. Most of all, find appropriate ways to take advantage of the many opportunities GenAI offers.