AI is making work better — and messier. Early research suggests who's thriving, who's not, and why.
These studies show that AI can improve productivity and efficiency in the workplace. However, concerns about job displacement and the need for upskilling workers are also evident. The relationship between humans and AI in the workforce is evolving rapidly. Companies must adapt and develop strategies to leverage AI effectively while addressing potential challenges. Overall, the impact of AI on work is multifaceted and requires careful consideration.
Workers are adapting to AI, and some leaders are struggling to keep up. A round-up of new research offers a snapshot of a workplace in flux amid the AI boom. AI could be closing knowledge gaps and changing how teams collaborate, one working paper found. Gen Z workers and engineers surveyed were divided on whether AI is helping or hurting their work. It's been over two years since ChatGPT was introduced to the world — and the workplace is still figuring out how to adapt to AI. One large-scale field experiment and two surveys published or conducted last month give some clues into how AI is reshaping work. While AI has shown signs of helping close experience gaps and improve collaboration, the data suggests some workers are skeptical and cautious — particularly when guidance on how to use AI is limited or unclear. Here's what researchers found.
AI can be a useful teammate
Workers using AI performed just as well as two-person human teams, and AI-augmented teams were significantly more likely to produce top-tier solutions, a working paper has suggested. Individuals using AI performed as well as human teams working without AI, the study found, and AI-assisted teams performed best overall and were more likely to generate the top 10% of solutions than those working alone. Working with AI improved the emotional experience of work, the study suggested. Participants using AI reported higher levels of excitement, energy, and enthusiasm and lower levels of anxiety and frustration compared to those working without it.
Most Gen Z workers say they lack AI guidance
Even as digital natives, most Gen Z workers are navigating AI at work without clear guidance, a March survey from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation suggested. More than half of Gen Z workers — 55% — said their employers have no formal policy on AI use. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z respondents said they'd be more likely to trust human-produced work compared to work done or assisted by AI. The findings paint a conflicted picture of how Gen Z as a whole perceives AI's impact on their critical thinking versus their efficiency at work or school.
Software engineers are split over AI
Vibe coding — using AI to create software using prompts — is shaking up software development. In a Wired survey of 730 software engineers published in March, three in four developers said they had tried AI tools like ChatGPT, and most of them said they used AI at least weekly. Mid-career coders were the most skeptical group, with almost half saying they were pessimistic about AI's impact. About 4% of full-time programmers said they used AI at work without telling their employer.