think global Sommer 2019
PRAXIS
36
Beyond Technology: Preparing People for Success in the Era of AI AI will fundamentally change how we work and live in the next 10 years. Germany
37 %
37 %
26 %
All Surveyed Countries
18 %
38 %
Neutral or disagree Strongly agree
44 % Somewhat agree
von Mark Marone
It seems everywhere you look, artificial intelligence (AI) is in the news. In a recent survey by Dale Carnegie Training, 14% of respondents in Germany said AI and automation are already impacting them in their work roles, and another 43% say they expect it to in the next 1– 5 years. Experts say this is just the beginning, predicting that AI will surpass humans at all work-related tasks by 2063.1 That may seem exciting or depressing, depending on your point of view. In an online, web-based survey, we asked more than 3,500 employees in 11 countries – including Germany – how they feel about AI and what they expect from it. Our research reveals a snapshot of cur-
1 Grace, Katja, et al. “Viewpoint: When Will AI Exceed Human Perfor-
mance? Evidence from AI Experts.” Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, vol. 62, July 2018, pp. 729–754., www.jair.org/index.php/ jair/article/view/11222/26431.
rent attitudes as well as important insights for leaders, since the successful deployment of AI depends on human employees embracing their changing role in the future of work. Forty-four percent of respondents in our study (but only 26% in Germany) strongly agree that AI will fundamentally change the way we work and live in the next 10 years. Most expect those changes to be positive overall, but many are ambivalent about the impact AI may have. While the survey revealed that in Germany more than half of respondents are at least slightly worried about losing their jobs as a result of advancements in AI in the near future, about the same number said they would feel positive about the potential to hand over some of their activities to AI, giving up routine tasks that get in the way of focusing on more meaningful work.
Those who trust leaderÂship, feel they understand AI, and have had soft skills training are >3x more likely to feel Âextremely positive about the changes AI will bring.
