Survey reveals the usage and perception of AI in the overall workforce, beyond just the realm of software development

While many surveys on software developers have found that a majority of them are using AI to generate code, the story is different in the workforce overall.

Zoho Corporation’s recently released Data Privacy and Generative AI Usage report reveals that only 24% of employees are using generative AI on a daily basis, and 37% said they had never tried it at all. Zoho’s survey, conducted in collaboration with CRM Essentials, was based on responses from 1,000 US employees in a range of industries, company sizes, and roles. 

Compare these findings to GitHub’s claims that 92% of US developers are using AI coding tools, CodeSignal’s findings that 81% of developers are using them, or Stack Overflow’s study, which found 76% of respondents are using or planning to use AI coding assistants. 

According to this survey, of those using generative AI, 18% use it only at work, 32.5% use it mostly at work, and 22.9% use it for both work and personal reasons. Of the respondents using AI at work, here is how they are using it:

• 19.9% for finding quick answers to work-related questions
• 15.3% for creating email content
• 12.2% for video creation
• 11.6% for summarizing long business documents 
• 11.2% for writing content
• 8% for editing videos
• 4.6% for writing code

Seventy-eight percent of daily users believe that AI will have a positive impact on their work experience, and 40% of those who use it say it has improved their productivity and 17% say it’s now indispensable to them. Less than half (48%) of all respondents view AI as a threat to their job. Nearly 28% see AI as a complementary tool to their job and 25.7% see it as a necessary evil in order to keep their job.

A majority of respondents think there needs to be more regulation around AI, with 76% believing government regulation is needed around training AI on company data and 75% wanting regulation on IP rights for AI content creation.

Finally, only 30% of respondents said they are comfortable sharing their data with AI, though when it comes to choosing an AI offering, convenience is the more important factor, with 25% of respondents saying so, compared to 15% of respondents saying their top deciding factor is data privacy. 

“The survey data demonstrates that employees stand to benefit greatly from generative AI, but their hesitancy is rooted in a lack of experience more than privacy concerns. Still, it is crucial for businesses to recognize the possible dangers that come with utilizing GenAI,” said Raju Vegesna, chief evangelist at Zoho. “Companies should adopt a holistic approach of gradually integrating the AI features while training their employees on how to use the technology safely within stringent guidelines to reduce risks and attain long-lasting success in the digital workplace era.”

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