Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have come in handy for millions of professionals worldwide. While AI has, to an extent, saved hours spent in doing repetitive tasks, has it already made us heavily dependent on them? A recent report by Resume Genius states that AI tools are popular among Gen Z staffers, especially men.
According to the report, 60 per cent of those surveyed admitted that AI helped them in improving their productivity, meaning they are working efficiently with less effort.
The resume creation portal surveyed around 1,000 full-time Gen Z professionals on how they were using AI on the work front and their thoughts on it. As per the report, 56 per cent said that AI improved the accuracy and quality of their work, while 42 per cent believed that AI gave them access to new opportunities on the job.
Gen Z men vs women
The report has also broken down AI usage patterns based on gender and found that Gen Z men are more likely to use AI for all the purposes mentioned in the survey. When it comes to brainstorming, 85 per cent of men use AI compared to 67 per cent of women. About 77 per cent of men admitted using AI to analyse large data sets compared to 50 per cent of women. For emails and reports, 74 per cent of men used AI in contrast to 63 per cent of women. Similarly, 74 per cent of men use AI to create digital content or design presentations vs 53 per cent of women.
When it comes to breaking rules, 52 per cent of men said they have used AI to automate tasks without their managers knowing compared to 30 per cent of women. While 21 per cent of men said they do it often vs 10 per cent of women. Also, according to the report, 42 per cent of men have used AI in ways that could violate company policies, including sharing internal data, compared to 23 per cent of women. As many as 39 per cent of Gen Z men admitted using AI-generated work to appear more productive compared to 23 per cent of women, while 15 per cent of men do this often or always compared to 8 per cent of women.
Overreliance and dependence
With AI tools becoming more accessible, experts have been raising concerns about overreliance, which is slowly eroding individual creativity. According to the report, about 18 per cent of Gen Z workers said that they would need to resign from their jobs if AI was banned. While 28 per cent said that they have passed off AI-generated work as their own, 41 per cent of those who did said that they would do it again, and 39 per cent said that they would automate tasks behind their manager’s back. On the downside, 23 per cent of Gen Z workers admitted that using AI at work has negatively impacted their mental health.
Regardless of the downside, AI seems to have been assisting professionals with some real-world issues. Among those surveyed, 57 per cent of workers said that they run their work by AI before showing it to a manager, and 56 per cent said that they used AI to find out how to talk to their boss or coworkers.
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The AI burnout
Even though AI is boosting productivity and improving the quality of work, it may not be true for all. The tools that are helping Gen Z with their productivity are also a cause of worry. 49 per cent of the respondents said that they are concerned that AI could lead to unfair or biased decisions that may affect them at work.
About 40 per cent said that AI was forcing them to learn new skills just to keep up with their work, and 36 per cent admitted to feeling burnt out by how frequently AI tools get updated. Over 38 per cent are dependent on AI to manage their workload. The fear of job loss is also plaguing many, as 37 per cent said that AI is making them feel replaceable.
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