Some 42% of Gen Z workers are nervous to tell their manager they are using AI at work, new survey finds

• Around 42% of Gen Z workers are afraid to tell managers that they use AI to help complete tasks.
• A new UK survey found over a third of workers of all ages are not telling managers about AI use.

Gen Z workers are hopping onto the AI hype and using the technology to help them out with tasks in the workplace but don't feel comfortable sharing this with managers, new research found.

The research, commissioned by Advertising Week Europe and carried out by Cint, surveyed 1,000 people in the UK between the ages of 16 to 79 from May 2 to May 4, 2023. It found that over a third of employees of all ages were afraid to tell their manager they were using AI at work.

The fear was more tangible for younger generations with 42% of Gen Z and 40% of millennials feeling this way.

This fear can partly be attributed to UK companies not having a clear-cut approach for using AI. Two-thirds of those firms don't have a policy on AI, leaving employees in the dark about whether they can use it, the survey said.

Meanwhile, just 69% of workers with over 15 years of experience at work haven't used AI tech before, compared to 62% of those with less than 15 years of experience who have used AI.

Tech and finance employers are more likely to have implemented AI at work and are also more supportive in regards to guiding employees. Industries like medicine, education, retail, and hospitality are not as up-to-speed on the topic.

Advertising Week Europe's global president Ruth Mortimer told Insider in a statement: "In an uncertain economy, where people already have a fear over losing their jobs, it can feel daunting to ask if you can use AI to complete your tasks.

"Whilst it can be hugely additive, often artificial intelligence has come with an association that it is likely to remove human jobs - rather than enhance them - so it can feel to workers that they may be talking themselves out of a role if they ask to use AI."

Mortimer added: "Managers need to show their teams that they understand AI and that they appreciate the opportunities and challenges that can come with it. They need to create an open atmosphere where they can encourage their employees to have conversations with them in this fast-changing space otherwise certain companies might be left behind."

Since OpenAI's ChatGPT was launched in November, workers including lawyers, engineers, teachers, and realtors have been utilizing the chatbot to speed up certain tasks including writing emails, social media content, property listings, and more.

One worker told Vice that ChatGPT completes about 80% of his job which allowed him to take on a second job at the same time.