Gen Z is emerging as the generation leading in its adoption, but their more senior colleagues are falling behind in terms of both knowledge and usage.
In a US survey commissioned by UKG and conducted by The Harris Poll, the youngest generation in the workforce also stands out as the most eager and proactive in integrating AI into daily work, with 90% believing AI will save them time at work, including more than a quarter (29%) who think AI will save them 60-89 minutes per day.
UKG says the findings point to a clear opportunity for employers across America: employees want AI to help them work smarter and more efficiently by taking over workplace processes for them (84%), and Gen Z could be the key to accelerating adoption across the organisation.
By tapping into the ease with which Gen Z tends to embrace new technologies, companies can empower their entire workforce to learn the latest tools, leverage them to support their roles, and free up time for more engaging, strategic work.
According to the data, 70% of Gen Z employees say they’ve taught themselves most of the AI tools they use at work, compared to 58% of Gen X employees (ages 45-60) and 40% of Boomer employees (ages 61-79). Moreover, more Gen Z employees (90%) believe AI could free up time in their day to enable them to focus on the more important or rewarding aspects of their job than Gen X (73%) and Boomer (59%) employees.
Notably, nearly half (49%) of Gen Z employees say their bosses don’t understand the benefits of AI.
In the 2023 UKG study on AI at work, only 26% of C-suite leaders said Gen Z employees had the best grasp on AI’s use in the workplace. The latest survey results suggest the opposite may be true, and highlight a potential disconnect between the junior members adopting the tools and senior leaders setting the strategy.
However, the latest UKG research favors Gen Z’s assertion. “Every few decades, breakthrough technology fundamentally changes the way we do everything: from how we live, to the way we work, and beyond,” said Suresh Vittal, chief product officer at UKG. “How productive would we be without electric power, the assembly line, or mobile phones? Like those innovations, AI is quickly becoming ubiquitous and indispensable to work – and ignoring it now is like choosing not to use a computer or the internet.”
“Gen Z may be on the leading edge of AI adoption in the workplace, but this technology has the power to transform work for every generation,” he continued. “From simplifying and automating everyday tasks to increasing productivity to unlocking more time for creativity, innovation, and personal connection, AI will reshape the employee experience in the years ahead. The sooner organisations act on AI’s potential, the greater competitive advantage they’ll gain.”
While Gen Z may be at the forefront of teaching themselves the AI skills they use at work, employees of all ages share a strong preference for AI that supports, rather than replaces, human work.
- 84% of U.S. employees agree that AI is best used to automate tasks, not entire roles.
- This belief is consistent across companies of all sizes – from 88% of employees at businesses with fewer than 75 employees, to 85% at companies with more than 15,000 employees.
- 89% say AI should be viewed as a tool, not a co-worker.
“Since our 2023 study, we’ve seen a meaningful shift in employees’ trust in and understanding of AI at work,” said Vittal. “Just two years ago, over half of employees had ‘no idea’ how their organisation was using AI. Today, about 2 in 5 employed Americans (39%) are hopeful about how it can improve their role – a sign that may point to increased transparency, dialogue, and education on the many effective uses for AI in the workplace.”
As for the characteristics that U.S. employees believe make a task appropriate for AI to take over, they range from highly repetitive or routine responsibilities (49%) to data-intensive duties (42%) to time-consuming tasks (38%). More than a third also point to tasks that require little judgment, empathy, or nuance (35%), or those that are often prone to human error (34%).
When it comes to specific use cases, UKG’s research finds many of the tasks U.S. employees would trust AI to handle are repeatable, data-driven, or prone to human error, including:
- Summarising company policies when they have questions (83%);
- Creating their work schedules based on availability (81%);
- Verifying their paycheck is correct (78%);
- Ensuring their timecard is accurate (78%); and
- Reviewing and approving their time-off and shift-swap requests in real time (74%).
