Storm Technology, a Littlefish company, has announced new findings from its survey which found that 68% of IT leaders believe the use of AI by staff reduces stress levels.
The research – involving 200 IT decision-makers and leaders across Ireland and the UK (100 respondents per market) – found that 60% think AI will help reduce burnout in their organisation, with almost three quarters (72%) of respondents of the opinion that AI would help employees to achieve a better work life balance.
Meanwhile, some 66% think AI would allow employees to reduce manual repetitive tasks and focus on more meaningful work, with 57% revealing employees are optimistic about the potential impact of AI on their day-to-day routine.
Showing the influence of AI and the current level of uptake across businesses in Ireland, some 69% of IT leaders in this market would prefer to work for a company that is more advanced in terms of AI adoption.
The research found that 70% of respondents in Ireland are in organisations which already permit the use of AI and 68% are using the technology to assist with their own work. In fact, over half (51%) use AI on a daily basis for work purposes and only 2% never use it at all.
However, the research found that barriers remain when it comes to AI adoption, the most cited one being a lack of understanding within the wider organisation about potential applications or benefits – selected by 31% of all respondents.
Backing this up, almost three quarters (73%) of IT leaders agree that user adoption is a concern when it comes to AI implementation. Furthermore, almost a third (30%) do not believe senior management in their organisation understand the potential of AI.
The other top barriers to AI adoption were the management of data, privacy and security (28%), lack of trust in AI (27%), employee resistance (27%), and a lack of AI skills in the organisation (27%).
On the topic of AI skills, 40% of IT leaders do not believe their team currently has the technical skills or knowledge to implement or adopt AI. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, 70% think employees expect to receive AI training and enablement.
John Tallon, M365 Productivity & Adoption, Azure Application Innovation and Azure Data & AI Practice Director, Storm Technology, said: “AI is creating a predicament for people and businesses. On the one hand, it is seen as a means of reducing workload stresses, supporting creativity, and productivity. However, on the other hand, there is reluctance to adopt AI, stemming from a gap in understanding and the necessary skills required. Businesses will need to bridge this knowledge gap to capitalise on the benefits of AI. Empowering people will drive the biggest impact across the whole business.”
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