Toronto, Sept. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new survey, almost three-quarters of Canadian employers have yet to incorporate AI into the workplace. Although it’s been a topic that has been top of mind for many globally, there is still so much uncertainty and concern surrounding the use of AI.
30% of Canadian employers cite security risk as their number one concern. Increased margin impacting the team’s work quality and/or productivity and staff morale is also ranked high on the list of concerns employers have.
The survey of 79,000 businesses across five countries – Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK – was conducted by Peninsula Group, a global employment law, HR, and health & safety advisory and consultancy firm – to look at the opportunities and concerns employers have around the use of AI in the workplace.
Where businesses have incorporated AI into the business, the majority are using it for administrative tasks (40%) or creative writing (35%). A third of businesses in Ireland that use AI are using it for customer services, while a quarter of Australian employers and a third of Canadian employers are using AI to draft internal or company communications.
Other key findings include:
- More than 50% of employers in Australia, Canada, and Ireland who use AI are unsure of its impact.
- Ireland has embraced AI the most of the five countries surveyed, with 10% of Irish employees saying it’s regularly used in their business – double that of Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
- Only a third of employers believe AI has the potential to positively transform many workplaces.
- Canadians are the most cautious, with 17% of employers believing that AI will be highly detrimental and 13% saying they are fearful of the unknown elements around AI.
- Australia was the only country where fear of the unknown with AI and how it impacts business finished in the top 3 responses.
- 40% of employers globally believe people are irreplaceable in their business.
- Over half of employers are either unsure or believe that AI will probably reduce the number of people employed at their company at some point.
- In Canada almost 20% of employers believe that AI is useful but won’t overtake traditional ways of working.
Raj Singh, CEO at Peninsula Canada says “Throughout history, mechanical and technological advances have played a significant role in the changing face of the industry, streamlining processes, reducing labour costs, and increasing productivity. AI is the latest in a long line of innovations – and it’s clear from these results that employers’ opinions are divided.
“While many can see the benefits of AI, there are still significant concerns around security, productivity, and margin of error that need to be addressed before we will see widespread implementation across global businesses. With online security and data protection being a top priority for most employers, this is not a big surprise.
“What is surprising is the low percentage of employers who are currently embracing AI. Australia leads the way with 41% of businesses currently using AI in some way or another, compared to Canada where only 33% of businesses have started to use AI. I expected this to be much higher.
“It’s also surprising that over 50% of employers who have already brought AI into the workplace are unsure of the impact it is having. This raises questions about the credibility of AI. With many respondents concerned about errors, quality, and security, it appears that more adoption time is needed to explore the avenues for businesses to best integrate AI solutions into their workflows.
“I believe that AI can be a great tool when used alongside people rather than in place of them. So, I was interested to see that a third of employers believe that AI will reduce the number of employees at their company. AI is only as good as the way it is programmed, and there can be no substitute for knowledge and personal insight.
“We’ve seen that here at Peninsula with our BrAInbox and Lightning platforms providing quick and instant answers to HR and Health & Safety questions, backed up by expert advisors.
“It’s this combination of AI and personal knowledge that I think will be most valuable to employers as we see more and more integration and uptake in businesses around the world. Speeding up processes and freeing up people’s time to concentrate on providing the best service to clients, using their knowledge to solve complex problems with the personal touch and human interaction that is so valuable, even in this digital age.”
--ENDS--
Notes to editor
Full survey data is available to download here.
Interviews are available, please contact:
Sally Abu Samra – PR Specialist
T: 647 988 2137 | E: sally.abu-samra@peninsula-ca.com
