80% of workers don’t believe AI will replace them in the workplace

Despite all of the recent debate around the rapidly increasing abilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI), research by digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, reveals that more than 80% of people have no concern that the technology is going to replace them in the workplace.

Thanks to the recent rise of Chat GPT and other rival chatbots, the debate around AI has heated up with people all over the world debating both the good and bad of allowing autonomous technology into our lives, homes, and workplaces.

But a new survey commissioned by ID Crypt Global reveals that, for the most part, people remain unconvinced that AI is going to replace them in the workplace.

The survey of 1,196 UK office workers asked whether or not they have heard of AI and, unsurprisingly, 95% said ‘yes’.

But when asked whether the use of AI in the workplace is a positive step, opinion is split with 45% saying ‘yes’ and 55% responding ‘no’.

Despite this mixed response, people seem to have much more certainty when it comes to whether or not AI poses a threat to their professional livelihood.

When asked whether they believe AI will one day make their job role obsolete, a resounding 81% said ‘no’.

As a result, 94% state that they are doing nothing to prepare for the eventuality of AI replacing them in the workplace, such as learning new skills or looking for new industries to work in.

If, however, the time does come when lots of people are losing their jobs to AI, 52% believe that their employer and the government share responsibility for re-training them to take on new jobs that AI has not disrupted.

18% say the responsibility should lie only with employers; 16% say it’s the job of government; and 14% say it’s up to each individual to ensure they are future-proofing themselves against the rise of technology.

Overall, opinion is mixed as to whether artificial intelligence is ultimately a good or bad thing for society.

When asked whether they believe it’s going to do more harm or good, 47% fall on the side of ‘harm’, 36% say it will be a benefit, and 17% remain unsure either way.

CEO and founder of ID Crypt Global, Lauren Wilson-Smith, commented: “It’s worrying that so many people remain unconvinced that AI is going to disrupt their lives. At this point, it’s clear that AI is going to become a dominant force in society, not least in the workplace.

There are certain jobs that AI is going to be able to execute to a far higher level than any human can, and do it in a much faster and cheaper way. We live in a capitalist world and industry leaders are not going to be able to resist the benefits of replacing people with machines.

The lack of concern demonstrated in these survey results suggest that we need increased awareness about what’s happening. Perhaps the government should be making efforts to educate the population about all the things that are going to change in the next 2-5 years alone. AI’s progress is going to be swift and transformational.

So while plenty of experts are having detailed debates around how we keep a handle on AI and avoid it spiralling out of control, less is being done to help the general population improve their awareness and thus prepare themselves for this huge moment in human innovation and evolution.”

Survey results

Full survey results can be viewed online, here.