About a third of Irish workers have said they are using artificial intelligence (AI) in the course of their work, with almost half of those using it every day, according to the latest Working in Ireland Survey.
The research, overseen by professor John Geary and assistant professor María Belizón, both of UCD, and Chris Smart of the Nevin Economic Research Institute, found workers were generally far less wary of the technology than was generally suggested. The survey found that only one per cent of the more than 3,000 workers surveyed last year indicated they wanted to see its use curtailed due to fears for their jobs.
Almost 90 per cent, by contrast, said they did not believe AI makes it more likely they will lose their jobs, while a similar number, 89 per cent, said its use improved the quality of their output.
The AI-related findings from the survey were published on Monday in a report by the three academics under the heading GenAI Use in Work: Its Reach, Effects, Risks and Limits. The findings noted that about 60 per cent of those using the technology said they used the time saved to do more complex or creative tasks, an outcome advocates often point to as a likely benefit of its roll-out.
The authors warned, however, that a substantial portion of those respondents using AI who said the technology saved them time also said they previously used that time to do more mundane tasks – something the researchers cautioned had more potential to lead to job losses.
Most of those who used AI believed their employers got the benefit of its deployment within workplaces, with few saying it had led to more breaks or time off and just 4.7 per cent reporting any increase to their earnings as a result of its adoption.
Levels of use varied hugely according to age, educational attainment and sector of employment, the survey found.
Forty-two per cent of workers aged 25 to 34 said the technology played a part in their work, more than twice the rate of those aged 55 to 64 (19.9 per cent).
Regarding educational background, almost half of those with a masters degree or doctorate said they used AI in the course of their work compared with less than 4 per cent of those with a primary degree or secondary education.
When it comes to sectoral employee engagement, information technology, education and financial services led the way with rates of use of more than 40 per cent; agriculture, transport and human health trailed well behind, all having rates of under 20 per cent, and with a rate just 5 per cent in the case of agriculture.
Respondents generally said they felt they needed more training and that what training they had received tended to focus on the potential benefits of the technology rather than the risks.
Sixty per cent of those who had received training said it had lasted for less than a day. Commenting on the report’s launch, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, said it was “vital the adoption of AI is both responsible and inclusive. AI has significant potential to enhance productivity, drive innovation and support economic growth.”
“At the same time, the report highlights the importance of addressing the challenges associated with technological change, including the concerns around labour market disruption, the need to ensure that workers are equipped with the skills required to adapt and that the benefits of AI are shared evenly across the workforce and throughout society.”
Separately, an event organised by Siptu on the future of AI in the transport sector heard that driver shortages in the sector, at 105,000 across Europe, were so substantial that autonomous vehicles were unlikely to seriously impact employment this side of 2040.
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With drivers accounting for just over half of the cost of operating a public transport vehicle in Hamburg, however, there is clearly an incentive for operators to adopt technology that replaces them, Philip Freeman of the European Transport Workers’ Federation told the conference in Liberty Hall.
He said most large public transport organisations have said they do not envisage substantial job losses, however, and the real concern for unions is driverless vehicles operated by independent multinationals which often seek exemptions from local regulation.
“The problem is not the employer groups,” he said. “The problem is big tech.”