Two in five employees take credit for work done by AI

A new survey by Workhuman has found that only half of employees using AI were found out

Two in five employees in Ireland have taken credit for work carried out by artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new survey by tech company Workhuman.

The survey found that of those who took credit, only half were found out by their employer.

The survey of 1,000 employees in Ireland, commissioned by Workhuman and conducted by Pollfish, found that 58 per cent of employees use AI tools as part of their job.

Almost half of employees that use AI use it for drafting emails, while 28 per cent have used AI to ask for a promotion, 22 per cent have used it to resign, and 20 per cent to ask for a raise.

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Some 88 per cent of those using AI in the workplace say that it is increasing their productivity. About half (49 per cent) say it reduces their workload, while 47 per cent spend less time on repetitive tasks.

When asked what they do with the time freed up by AI, 50 per cent said they have social chats with colleagues, 46 per cent help other team members and 42 per cent focus on tasks they wouldn’t have otherwise had time for.

Seven in ten employees believe AI will lead to better job satisfaction, a better work-life balance and create new job opportunities. Meanwhile, 42 per cent of employees believe it will eventually replace their job.

Jonathan Hyland chief technology officer at Workhuman said that there is an “increasing level of comfort with AI” among the working population, and that businesses are realising “AI isn’t going to be optional”.

However, he highlighted that 20 per cent of those working in companies that use AI have received no training in its use or application.

“It’s important that we keep the human element in the process in order to maximise our use of AI. Employees are constantly evolving and upskilling and AI should be used to enhance the human experience – not replace it entirely,” he said.

Workhuman is a human resources software company that operates employee reward and incentive schemes.

Mr Hyland said that from December, Workhuman’s Customer Service team will be working with AI to digest case summaries, to “help accelerate response times, increasing productivity and customer satisfaction,” as well as enhance employee satisfaction.

Ellen O'Regan

Ellen O’Regan

Ellen O’Regan is an Irish Times journalist.