AI stigma, fatigue have employers changing messaging
Some employers are pulling back when it comes to their language around AI initiatives, as reservations from staff persist and the initial AI hype dies down.
Nearly half (48%) of employers say their organization now avoids using the term “AI” in official communications, even when AI is being used, according to a report from Seismic, a workforce enablement platform, that includes responses from over 2,000 sales, marketing and customer service managers.
Over 70% of respondents in the report’s survey said significant skepticism about AI in their industry remains, and 60% said the term “AI” itself carries a stigma making it difficult to gain internal support for AI initiatives.
“They may not want to draw too much attention to their usage of it, because they don’t want to invite some of these questions,” said Paige O’Neill, chief marketing officer at Seismic. “They may want to kind of fly under the radar.”
The findings represent an ongoing disconnect between leadership and staff when it comes to proper AI integration, as scrutiny around the tools, their effectiveness, and privacy and legal risks become more apparent, according to workplace experts.
AI fatigue is another factor. Half of business leaders report declining company-wide enthusiasm for AI integration and adoption, according to an EY AI Pulse Survey out Tuesday.
Instead of saying “AI”, companies are now using phrases like “enhancing technology investment,” “increasing productivity” and “leaning into automating processes,” O’Neill said.
It is worth noting that the survey did only include responses from sales, marketing and customer service managers, and “this is probably more extreme than you would see if you looked in a more diverse subset,” said Emily Rose McRae, senior director analyst at Gartner.
“But it is very indicative of the declining position on the hype cycle, which is to say, we have been at the peak of inflated expectations and we are now moving to a trough of disillusionment,” McRae said.
“People mentioned AI because it felt exciting and like part of the branding and messaging. But particularly if people are less excited about AI, it’s not going to convert as much attention,” she added.
Earlier this year, an Upwork survey of over 2,500 full-time workers, freelancers and executives found that 96% of executives expect AI to boost productivity. Employees however were not on the same page — about 40% said they don’t know how that will ever happen.
Almost 80% of workers who use generative AI in their jobs said it has added to their workload and is hampering their productivity, as they spend more time reviewing or moderating AI-generated content, that survey found. Workers are also struggling to teach themselves how to even use the tools, with many asking for better, more standardized training from their employers.
But the changes might also suggest more widespread integration as the use of AI becomes assumed, and doesn’t need to be outright mentioned.
“AI at a certain point becomes a little bit like talking about SaaS [software as a service] or cloud,” O’Neill said. “Everything becomes SaaS-based software. Everything moves to the cloud. Everything is a dot-com. As more and more companies are embracing it in their everyday workflows, you don’t need to mention that you’re using it. It’s just assumed.”