MADRID, Nov. 21 (Portaltic/EP) –
More than a third of Spaniards (39%) believe that Mastering Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Will Help You Get a Promotion or a promotion at work, according to a report prepared by Salesforce, which also warns that “despite the professional promises that this technology entails, the lack of clearly defined policies around its use may be putting companies at risk.”
In this sense, the study reflects that 61% of Spanish workers claim to have used generative AI tools that are not formally approved by their company (and up to 33% have used them despite being expressly prohibited) and adds that many of them These employees turn to this new technology “without training, guidance or approval from your company.”
This study, titled ‘The Promises and Difficulties of Generative AI at Work’, compiles the opinions of more than 14,000 workers from fourteen countries, including Spain, and shows that company policies and training around generative AI “are not clearly defined and are, at best, ambiguous.” However, at the same time, the report shows that workers recognize the importance of this technology in advancing their own careers: 74% of workers who use it say it makes them more productive.
“The more AI advances, the easier it will be for both workers and individual users to use it in ways that are simpler, more efficient, and more satisfying,” says Paula Goldman, Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer at Salesforce. “The managers who bet clearly on AI tools in the workplace will achieve more reliable, safe and responsible results without sacrificing innovation,” he adds.
LACK OF CLEAR POLICIES ON AI AT WORK
Those surveyed in the report, for their part, not only warn of the lack of training, but also point out that their companies’ policies regarding generative AI are not clearly defined or, directly, do not exist. In the Spanish case, 84% of workers affirm that their company does not have clearly defined policies on using generative AI at work.
Likewise, 73% of Spanish workers have not received or completed training on generative AI in their companies (69% globally). This percentage reaches 74% when asked about training on how to use generative AI ethically (71% global average) and 71% on how to use generative AI safely in the workplace (69% a global scale).
This is one of the factors that causes users to perform ethically questionable activities at work when using generative AI, for example, by passing off AI as your own work or inflating your skills. Thus, in Spain, 66% of Spanish workers have passed generative AI work as their own (64% is the global average) and 36% would consider inflating their skills in generative AI to secure a job opportunity, compared to 41% of global average.
AN ELEMENT OF ATTRACTION AND RETENTION OF TALENT
Whether or not they use generative AI in the workplace, workers recognize the impact of technology on their careers. Thus, 47% of workers in Spain believe that mastering generative AI would make them more in demand in their workplace. On the other hand, 52% believe that it would lead to greater job satisfaction and 38% affirm that it would imply a higher salary than those who they don’t master the technology.
Generative AI also acts as an element of talent attraction and retention. Thus, 44% of Spanish workers affirm that they would feel more attracted to a proactive and advanced company with generative AI while 56% of users in Spain affirm that generative AI makes them more engaged in their work.
In any case, according to the data in this report, 86% of Spanish workers affirm that there are currently barriers to using generative AI at work. Therefore, Salesforce urges companies to invest in generative AI tools “safe, ethical and reliable” and “take a step forward in training their employees on the safe and ethical use of AI.” “It is not a question of whether companies apply generative AI, but how they do it effectively, safely and ethically” , concludes the document.
