2024 Report:
AI & Business Readiness

Executive Summary

WSU’s Carson College of Business conducted a survey to generate insights into American professional workers’ preparedness for and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. The survey was also designed to explore awareness and attitudes toward AI training and readiness initiatives for use of AI in the workforce.

Key Findings

Through our research, we discovered the following key insights:

1. The impact of AI in the workplace: Today, over half of American professionals say they use AI in their jobs today, ranging from analyzing data to predict trends, to using generative AI to produce content or communications, and more.
2. Demand for AI job skills and resources: Despite AI’s positive potential, half of professionals are concerned they will be “left behind” in their careers without opportunities to learn how to leverage AI in the workplace.
3. A critical role for higher education in AI readiness: The vast majority of professionals agree: today’s college graduates should be prepared to use AI in the workplace upon their entry to the workforce and see a critical role for higher education in preparing future graduates to use AI.
4. Post-graduate preparation for AI risks: Despite the importance of colleges and universities in preparing graduates to work with AI, professionals believe that higher education can do more – including educating on AI risks. This preparation could have important consequences for the next generation of American professionals—and for the nation.
5. Gender as a factor in workplace applications of AI: While women and men shared many common views on AI in the workplace and the role of higher education in preparing graduates, the survey revealed notable gender gaps in access, usage and optimism.
6. Workplace seniority and AI engagement: The most senior professionals—top leadership and upper management—are more engaged in using and learning AI, more optimistic about its potential at work, and more united in their feelings that higher education should prepare new graduates to use AI in the workforce compared to the less senior individual contributors (non-managers).

Methodology

The survey was conducted online from November 28 to December 16, 2023 among 1,200 full-time professional workers in the United States. All respondents are adults who work in a management, professional, or related occupation and work at least 30 hours a week in a role that requires spending at least one hour each day using a computer or similar technology device.

To enable a closer look at results in the Pacific Northwest, the total sample of 1,200 professional workers includes an oversample of 300 in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The remaining 900 are a national sample across all 50 states. Results in this memo are based on a combined total sample of 1,200, within which the Pacific Northwest oversample has been weighted down to its true share of the U.S. population, 4.2%. The four U.S. Census regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, West) are also weighted to their true population shares.

Today, over half of American professionals say they use AI in their jobs today, ranging from analyzing data to predict trends, to using generative AI to produce content or communications, and more.

Over half of American professionals (56%) say they use AI in their jobs today. Uses range from analyzing data, to produce specific outcomes of predict trends (30%), to using generative AI to produce content or communications (24%), and more. Still, 44% of professionals say that they do not use AI in their jobs today.

Organizations have had mixed reactions to AI and its impact on work, demonstrated by large shares of professionals saying their employer is either enthusiastic (25%), uncertain or negative (18% and 4%), or even entirely noncommunicative on the subject (24%). While a plurality of organizations maintains an enthusiastic approach, others are less confident in their understanding of AI’s appropriate role in the workplace.

Across all professionals’ organizations…

• 30% have conveyed a measured approach, maintaining caution about its capabilities
• 25% have conveyed an enthusiastic approach, expressing positivity and optimism about AI’s potential
• 18% have conveyed an uncertain approach, demonstrating confusion or a lack of clarity on the subject
• 4% have conveyed a negative approach, expressing fear or pessimism about AI’s role and potential in the workplace

Despite most professionals’ enthusiasm about the potential of AI in the workplace, they also share many concerns about its use. When asked to rank their greatest concerns, the following are most often in professionals’ top three:

• Ethical challenges or concerns (34%)
• Privacy and security of organizational and employee data (33%)
• Potential for AI to make some employees’ jobs obsolete (32%)
• Lack of oversight into how AI is being used (32%)
• Privacy and security of client or stakeholder data (32%)

Despite AI’s positive potential, half of professionals are concerned they will be “left behind” in their careers without opportunities to learn how to leverage AI in the workplace.
When asked specifically about the AI-related resources that their employers have provided, 32% of professionals have received general news and resources on AI, 31% have received specific training on AI tools in their role, and 26% have received information from their employer about AI risks and policies. Among those who have used AI in their role, almost one in four (22%) say that their organization has not provided any resources or information on the topic.

Three quarters (76%) of professionals say that their organization has addressed or taken a position on AI use. In contrast, 24% say that their organization has not offered any communication or information on the topic.

More professionals would expect their organization to train existing employees (51%) than to hire new talent (13%) or to outsource (10%) if it needed to AI expertise. Still, 26% are unsure what approach their organization would prioritize to meet this need.

A variety of skills are important for effective and appropriate AI use in the workplace. When asked to rank the most important skills, the following are most often in professionals’ top three: critical thinking (38%), technical skills (35%), logical thinking (31%), attention to detail (27%), and ethical awareness or training (26%).

Despite the importance of colleges and universities in preparing graduates to work with AI, professionals believe that higher education can do more – including educating on AI risks. This preparation could have important consequences for the next generation of American professionals—and for the nation.
More than nine in ten professional workers (92%) agree that colleges and universities should educate students about the dangers of AI and not just its practical uses. In fact, half strongly agree (49%), compared to just 8% who disagree at all.

Risks about accuracy and transparency of information (68%) and privacy of data and personal information (67%) are two top types of AI risks professionals believe colleges should educate students about.

More than one in five of professionals (22%) believe that colleges and universities should bear the most responsibility for providing AI education and training—not far off from the share who say organizations hiring for AI roles (30%).

Nearly half (47%) say U.S. colleges and universities are providing their students insufficient preparation on AI technology and its uses in the workplace—twice as many as the share saying thorough preparation (23%).

Two in three professionals today believe it’s likely the U.S. will become less competitive than other countries if colleges and universities do not provide dedicated education and training on AI technologies.

While women and men shared many common views on AI in the workplace and the role of higher education in preparing graduates, the survey revealed notable gender gaps in access, usage and optimism.

Fewer women than men have received AI resources or put AI to use at work. More than half of women (55%) say their organization hasn’t provided them with any resources or information about AI, compared to just 43% of men. Likewise, just one in three women (32%) have relied on mentors or work resources to learn about AI use in their roles, compared to 42% of men. Unsurprisingly then, fewer female professionals say they use AI in their jobs today (41% vs. 47% men), and fewer feel confident in explaining AI and how it can be used in their work (56% vs. 71% men).

Perhaps owing to more widespread exposure to AI at work, men are especially optimistic about AI’s potential. Compared to women, more male professionals believe agree that AI can be highly impactful for work in their industry if it is used appropriately (76% vs. 68%). Men also more often believe that widespread use of AI in their work will have positive impacts on each of employee efficiency (64% vs. 53%), business growth (52% vs. 43%), organizational competitiveness (53% vs. 39%), stakeholder satisfaction (47% vs. 34%), data security (44% vs. 36%), and employee retention (31% vs 24%).

Men and women agree that higher education has a key role in preparing the workforce, though more men value creative thinking as a key AI skill. Both women and men widely agree that college graduates should be prepared to use AI in the workplace upon entering the workforce (81% women, 85% men) and overwhelmingly agree colleges and universities should educate about the dangers of AI and not just practical uses (91% women, 94% men). However, women may have a slightly narrower expectation about the skills needed to use AI effectively: while all genders rank critical thinking, technical skills, and logical skills near the top of the skills list, markedly more men rank creative thinking in their top three than do women (27% vs. 17%).

The most senior professionals—top leadership and upper management—are more engaged in using and learning AI, more optimistic about its potential at work, and more united in their feelings that higher education should prepare new graduates to use AI in the workforce compared to the less senior individual contributors (non-managers).

Senior leaders are very engaged with AI. Compared to junior individual contributors, more senior leaders have been provided AI resources or information about AI and work by their employers (68% vs. 36%), more have used resources provided by mentors and employers to learn about AI’s use in their roles (48% vs. 25%), and more use AI overall (74% vs. 40%).

Senior leaders are widely confident and optimistic. Compared to junior individual contributors, more senior leaders are confident in being able to explain AI and its uses for their work (81% vs. 48%), believe AI is likely to cause long-lasting transformative changes that positively impact work in their industry (74% vs. 56%), and believe the widespread use of AI in their organizations’ work would have a positive impact on employee efficiency (65% vs. 50%), business growth (57% vs. 36%), organizational reputation (47% vs. 30%), and employee retention (39% vs. 20%).

Senior leaders see a need for higher education to prepare new graduates to use AI. Compared to junior individual contributors, more senior leaders agree that college graduates should be prepared to use AI in professionally upon entry to the workforce (85% vs. 78%). They’re also more likely to believe college graduates should have experience using AI prior to entering the workforce (79% vs. 70%). Leaders see important consequences of not preparing the workforce: more than junior colleagues, leaders believe their organization will fall behind in its industry if it does not embrace AI technologies and the use of AI in the workplace (53% vs. 44%) and that the U.S. itself will become less competitive than other countries if colleges and universities do not provide dedicated education and training on AI (73% vs. 59%).