Few people have a healthy relationship with their work, but those who use artificial intelligence on the job are happier, according to a new study from HP.
HP, known as a technology company, set out to better understand what drives employee satisfaction and engagement in a shifting labor landscape with its Work Relationship Index.
The second annual Work Relationship Index report was released and found just 28% of knowledge workers worldwide have a healthy relationship with their work.
But Americans saw a bigger jump, from 28% last year to 34% this year. That improvement in the U.S. was driven by a big increase in the use of AI, said Anneliese Olson, the senior vice president and managing director of HP’s North America market.
AI usage among knowledge workers jumped from 38% last year to 66% this year. And those who used AI scored 11 points higher on HP’s Work Relationship Index.
“Talking to our customers, there’s a lot of experimentation obviously going on with AI both personally and in the workplace,” Olson said.
AI implementation is still in the early days for a lot of companies, and Olson said she expects workers to grow more comfortable with AI and really start to see the benefits.
HP said AI and personalized work experiences hold the potential for improving relationships with work — and those two appear to go hand in hand.
HP’s survey found that 69% of knowledge workers are customizing their use of AI to be more productive, indicating AI could be an ingredient to unlocking a more personalized work experience.
The types of workers HP included in its study, knowledge workers, fall into a “wide net” of anyone using computing and technology tools for their job, Olson said.
HP’s Work Relationship Index includes six drivers of a healthy relationship, including aspects of corporate leadership, meaning and empowerment at work, skills and tools.
“We know that when people are more engaged in their work, they feel better,” Olson said. “We also know that businesses get better results when their employees are included and engaged.”
There are, of course, worries about AI in the workplace.
Gallup found that 75% of Americans believe AI will take away jobs, and 77% don’t trust businesses to use AI responsibly.
Molly Kinder, a fellow at Brookings Metro and an expert on how innovations can impact the labor market, said that technology impacts jobs in many ways, and in some instances, AI will take people’s jobs.
AI will disrupt jobs. It will change roles — and sometimes positions will be eliminated, Kinder said. But she said AI, specifically generative AI, at this moment isn’t an imminent threat to most jobs.
“My colleagues and I at the Brookings Institution have analyzed some data from OpenAI, and our big takeaway is that at this phase, with this level of technology, we’re more likely to see augmenting impacts than automation impacts,” Kinder said. “So, I think it’s just simply not true that the majority of people are about to see their job go away.”
HP’s Olson said that workers crave guidance and training on AI.
“When you train your folks, that fear level goes down — engagement and productivity … go up,” Olson said.
HP’s study found that 73% of knowledge workers who used AI feel that it makes their jobs easier. Six in 10 said that AI plays a key role in improving their work-life balance. Nearly 70% said AI opens up new opportunities for them to enjoy work. While over 70% said a better understanding of AI will make it easier to advance their careers.
HP surveyed 15,600 respondents across industries in 12 countries for its Work Relationship Index.
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