2024-11-09 18:15:00
Survey on working with AI
Many employees feel left alone when it comes to artificial intelligence
Lawyers, auditors, commercial employees: in Swiss offices, almost half of the staff uses AI. However, many companies have major deficits.
Frequently used as a sparring partner or for inspiration: Chat-GPT is becoming a standard tool in knowledge and service professions.
Foto: Getty Images
- A survey shows: Four out of five employees need more specialist knowledge for existing AI applications.
- Only a quarter of companies have a clear strategy for their use.
- Politicians and experts are calling for basic AI skills in basic and advanced training.
Giovanni Crupi spends at least an hour a day with Chat-GPT and other AI tools. For the 58-year-old, who works as a product manager at Swisscom, they are as much a part of everyday work as the Internet browser or office programs.
He uses an internal, data protection-compliant AI chatbot specifically tailored to Swisscom. This makes suggestions for text modules in emails. And he helps him with his research.
Giovanni Crupi, product manager at Swisscom, frequently uses AI tools such as Chat-GPT both privately and professionally.
Photo: PD
Like Crupi, many employees do it. For almost half of professionals in service and knowledge professions, so-called generative AI is part of their everyday work. This is shown by a survey by the Zurich School of Economics among 1,843 members of the “The Platform” alliance, which includes eight independent employee and professional associations, including lawyers, auditors, commercial employees, marketing, sales and human resources specialists.
Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence models that are designed to generate new content in the form of written text, audio, images or videos.
Many companies do not have an AI strategy
According to the results, employees recognize the potential of generative AI, but they feel left alone: 80 percent say they need more expertise to effectively integrate AI into their work. There is a strong need for additional know-how, particularly in less demanding positions.
The survey shows a clear gap between employees’ expectations of their employers and reality. Only a quarter of companies have a clear AI strategy. The lack of guidelines leads to uncertainty in many companies.
It is also worth noting that the level of education and professional function significantly influence attitudes towards AI. Higher qualified people and those in management positions recognize the economic opportunities that come with the use of AI. At the same time, however, they are also aware of social challenges, such as influencing public debates or potential surveillance. However, those who are less well qualified and those in deeper functions are more skeptical about the opportunities.
Employers should involve their employees
Compared to the general population, the survey shows that professionals in service and knowledge professions are significantly more open to the topic of AI. While 57 percent of the professionals surveyed have a positive attitude towards AI, this is only 35 percent of the general population.
In view of these results, it is important that the federal government’s AI strategy is not limited to questions about regulation, but also takes into account the training and further education of employees, says Ursula Häfliger, managing director of “The Platform”.
“Our biggest concern is that there are two separate developments,” she says. On the one hand, companies are dealing with AI, “but they don’t think about the employees,” says Häfliger. Employees, on the other hand, know that AI will lead to major disruptions, so they use AI tools on their own initiative. “However, this is problematic because employers should involve their employees in the processes and ensure that they can acquire the necessary skills – ideally right away in their current job,” says Häfliger.
Artificial intelligence as a topic in primary school
This is also how the Schwyzer Mitte National Councilor Dominik Blunschy sees it. He suggests teaching AI skills in basic training. “It would be obvious to integrate AI into media and computer science. No legislative adjustments would be necessary for this.” Blunschy has submitted an interpellation on this in Bern. The Federal Council’s answer is expected in the winter session.
Unlike many respondents, Giovanni Crupi is satisfied with his employer’s AI strategy. At Swisscom, AI is a matter for the boss. The superiors set an example of how to deal with it, and a business unit has been founded specifically to equip employees with AI tools and hold information events on AI.
Nevertheless, it is up to each individual to take action so as not to miss the connection. “You have to choose those further training courses that support you in your own individual work environment.” Crupi suspects that this thinking has reached large companies, but not so much in smaller ones.
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