Leaders and Employees Have a Lack of Trust
When it Comes to the Responsible Development and Deployment
of AI
PLEASANTON, Calif., Jan. 10,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Workday, Inc (NASDAQ:
WDAY), a leader in enterprise cloud applications for finance and
human resources, today published its latest global study, which
found that an AI trust gap has formed in the workplace. Business
leaders and employees are in agreement that AI holds great
opportunities for business transformation, however, there is a lack
of trust that it will be deployed responsibly, with employees
showing an even deeper level of skepticism than their leadership
counterparts.
Key findings include:
- Only 62% of business leaders (C-suite or their direct reports)
welcome AI. This number is even lower among employees, at 52%.
- 23% of employees are not confident their organization puts
employee interests above its own when implementing AI.
- 70% of business leaders agree AI should be developed in a way
that easily allows for human review and intervention.
- 42% of employees believe their company does not have a clear
understanding of which systems should be fully automated and which
require human intervention.
- 3 in 4 employees say their organization is not collaborating on
AI regulation.
- 4 in 5 employees say their company has yet to share guidelines
on responsible AI use.
"There's no denying that AI holds immense opportunities for
business transformation. However, our research shows that leaders
and employees lack confidence in, and understanding of, their
organizations' intentions around AI deployment within the
workplace," said Jim Stratton, chief
technology officer, Workday. "To help close this trust gap,
organizations must adopt a comprehensive approach to AI
responsibility and governance, with a lens on policy advocacy to
help strike the right balance between innovation and trust."
"Ethical standards in the use of AI and ML are vital for
long-term success. As we introduce more and more AI technologies,
we are focused on building trust with customers and employees,"
said Dan Cohen, chief information
officer and director of operations at The Amenity Collective. "Our
aspirational goal is to create a culture, at the very core of our
brand, that adopts AI and empowers each person in our company to
use it to do the right thing for our customers. I applaud Workday's
commitment to understanding and addressing the sentiment of leaders
and employees so we can work to close the AI trust gap."
Lack of Trust at all Levels of the Workforce
When it
comes to organizations adopting and deploying AI responsibly, there
is a lack of trust at all levels of the workforce,
particularly from employees. Only 62% of leaders welcome AI
adoption in their organization, and the same percentage of leaders
are confident their organization will ensure AI is implemented in a
responsible and trustworthy way. At the employee level, those
numbers drop even further to 52% and 55% respectively.
There is also uncertainty among employees and leaders that their
organization will implement AI in the right way. Nearly one-quarter
(23%) of employees are not confident their organization puts
employee interests above its own when implementing AI, and leaders
agree: 21% of leaders report they are not confident their
organizations will put employee interests first.
Human Intervention with AI
Leaders and employees
want human involvement in AI processes, but are unclear on the best
way to do so. The majority (70%) of business leaders agree AI
should be developed in a way that easily allows for human review
and intervention. However, 42% of employees believe their company
does not have a clear understanding of which systems should be
fully automated and which require human intervention.
Earlier Workday-commissioned research on AI further validates
concerns around companies' abilities to implement AI responsibly
and effectively: nearly three-quarters (72%) of leaders said their
organization lacks the skills to fully implement AI and ML, and an
even slightly higher percentage (76%) said their own knowledge of
AI and ML applications needs improvement.
Need for Smart AI Governance with Transparency
Asked
to imagine a future where AI is a part of everyday life, 42% of
leaders and 36% of employees cite organizational frameworks and
regulation as most important for building trustworthy AI.
However, there is a lack of organization-wide visibility around
AI regulation and guidelines. Three in four employees say their
organization is not collaborating on AI regulation, and four in
five say their company has yet to share guidelines on responsible
AI use.
Workday has launched this research leading up to the World
Economic Forum Annual Meeting, taking place in Davos, Switzerland, from January 15-19, 2024.
For additional information:
- Download the report, Closing the AI Trust Gap.
- Check out the infographic, Closing the AI Trust Gap: Three Key
Findings.
- Learn more about Workday's approach to responsible AI
here.
About the Report
This data comes from the global study
"Closing the AI Trust Gap," a survey commissioned by Workday and
conducted by FT Longitude in November and December 2023. The survey encompassed 1,375
business leaders and 4,000 employees across 15 countries in three
core regions: North America;
Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ); and Europe, the Middle
East, and Africa (EMEA).
This breakdown reveals a comprehensive view of the organizational
hierarchy, highlighting the perspectives of leadership and the
broader employee population.
About Workday
Workday is a leading provider of
enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources,
helping customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. Workday
applications for financial management, human resources, planning,
spend management, and analytics are built with artificial
intelligence and machine learning at the core to help organizations
around the world embrace the future of work. Workday is used by
more than 10,000 organizations around the world and across
industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 50% of the
Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit
workday.com.
© 2023 Workday, Inc. All rights reserved. Workday and the
Workday logo are registered trademarks of Workday, Inc. All other
brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective holders.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains
forward-looking statements including, among other things,
statements regarding Workday's plans, beliefs, and expectations.
These forward-looking statements are based only on currently
available information and Workday's current beliefs, expectations,
and assumptions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the
future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties,
assumptions, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to
predict and many of which are outside of Workday's control. If the
risks materialize, assumptions prove incorrect, or we experience
unexpected changes in circumstances, actual results could differ
materially from the results implied by these forward-looking
statements, and therefore you should not rely on any
forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to,
risks described in Workday's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including Workday's Form 10-Q for the
fiscal quarter ended October 31,
2023, and other reports that we have filed and will file
with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to
vary from expectations. Workday assumes no obligation to, and does
not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements
after the date of this release.
Any unreleased services, features, or functions referenced in
this document, Workday's website, or other press releases or public
statements that are not currently available are subject to change
at Workday's discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at
all. Customers who purchase Workday services should make their
purchase decisions based upon services, features, and functions
that are currently available.
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SOURCE Workday Inc.