Workers feel pressure to use AI and show off to bosses — even when it slows them down

According to a recent report by JobAssist, a significant portion of employees are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) at their workplace, even when they believe it may not be providing any significant benefits. In fact, one in three workers admits they withhold negative feedback about AI due to their employer's encouragement of its use.

A staggering 52% of the surveyed workers say they have employed AI even if they feel they could have accomplished the task faster without it. This trend is being driven by a growing expectation from employers for AI to be used for certain tasks, with 63% of workers reporting that their companies now actively promote or expect AI usage.

Surprisingly, 39% of these employees even go as far as bragging about their use of AI to their managers, even when they don't believe it has improved their performance. This behavior suggests that workers are using AI as a way to maintain a positive image with their superiors and possibly enhance their career prospects.

However, the report warns that this trend could be skewing the figures of AI return on investment (ROI). When employees continue using AI even when it doesn't improve speed or quality, or avoid sharing negative feedback, it could give a misleadingly positive portrayal of the effectiveness of AI initiatives to their managers. This, in turn, could lead to misguided spending on AI technologies by businesses.

JobAssist urges workers to be more transparent about the effectiveness of AI in their roles, as current measurements of AI use cannot determine whether it is genuinely improving performance.