Good morning!
As companies try their hardest to get employees onboard with AI at work, managers may be finding that some employees are taking to the new tech more than others. Although it’s still early days, signs of a gender gap are already emerging.
Around 30% of AI users are “maximalists,” who use the tech often and shout it from the rooftops, while another 20% are “underground” users, who use the tech but stay quiet about it, according to a new report from Salesforce. Within both of these groups, there is a skewed male presence: Around 63% of “maximalists” are men and only 37% are women, while 57% of “underground” users are men and 43% are women.
“Men just tend to use AI more than women across the board,” Christina Janzer, SVP of research and analytics for Slack, which is owned by Salesforce, tells Fortune. “That’s a trend that we’ve seen since the beginning.”
Meanwhile, women are much more skeptical of the technology and overrepresented in groups that use it the least. Out of “rebel” AI users, who avoid using it altogether, around 58% are women and 42% are men, according to the report. And “observers,” or workers who haven’t integrated the tech into their workflow but are watching with interest and caution, are almost evenly split. Around 49% are women, and 51% are men.
“Women are more likely to see AI as a threat,” says Janzer. “There is a lack of trust with their company, or a lack of trust with their manager to think that AI is potentially going to replace them.”
They may have good reason for their reservations. Some studies have found that AI is likely to disproportionately impact women. Around 80% of women work in jobs that are at risk of disruption compared to 60% of men, according to research from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
But direct managers can play an outsized role with getting their workers of all kinds onboard with the technology, and women in particular, by addressing hesitation head on, and setting clear goals and guidelines.
“Workers need to know that they won’t be quickly discarded if they become more efficient at their job. That means that bosses must take it upon themselves to outline how AI could change and enhance workflow, and what particular tasks it could take done by AI. That relieves the employee of the pressure of ‘waiting for something bad to happen,’” says Janzer.
And building rapport between managers and their direct reports is critical to AI adoption. “If you feel trusted by your manager, you’re more likely to adopt AI,” she says. “If you trust your boss, then you realize that they’re going to see that as an asset, and they’re going to see that as a way to make you even more productive versus replace you.”
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
Around the Table
A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
More companies are monitoring their employees’ badge swipes, keyboard strokes, internet usage, and physical locations via surveillance tools. Business Insider
In a new federal lawsuit Amazon is accusing the National Labor Relations Board of improperly influencing the outcome of a union election at one of the company’s Staten Island warehouses. AP
Black student enrollment at some major universities is down following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn affirmative action last year. Wall Street Journal.
Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Bad timing. With 9.4% fewer banking and finance jobs in the labor market today, the hundreds of Goldman Sachs employees recently fired will have a tougher time bouncing back. —Michael Del Castillo
Tough love. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says he’d rather “torture [employees] into greatness” than fire them because he believes people can improve. —Chloe Berger
Happy Monday: The first day of the work week is making a comeback when it comes to in-office attendance as IRL attendance levels creep back up, according to a new report. —Orianna Rosa Royle
