European Commission: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work

The European Commission has released "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Jobs". At least half of Europeans believe that the latest digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, have a positive impact on every industry.

66% of currently employed respondents believe that the latest digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, have a positive impact on their work; 62% believe that the latest digital technologies have a positive impact on the economy, quality of life and social security benefits; 56% of respondents said that the latest digital technologies have a positive impact on society.

Compared to March 2017, fewer people believe that the latest technologies have a positive impact on the economy (-13 percentage points), society (-8 percentage points) and quality of life (-5 percentage points).

Younger respondents, those with higher education levels, those with the least financial difficulties, and those currently working in the workplace were most likely to see these technologies as having a positive impact.

A clear majority believe it is important to have rules in place to address risks and maximise the benefits of digital technology in the workplace.

82% of respondents said protecting employee privacy is very important to address risks and maximize the benefits of digital technologies, including AI, in the workplace.

Similarly, more than seven in ten respondents believe it is very important to involve employees and their representatives in the design and adoption of new technologies (77%), to increase transparency when using digital technologies to make HR decisions (75%), to prohibit fully automated decision-making processes (74%), and to limit automated surveillance of employees (72%).

Most people consider themselves to have adequate skills in using the latest digital technologies.

Around seven in ten respondents believe they have sufficient skills in using the latest digital technologies (including artificial intelligence) to benefit from digital and online learning opportunities (71%, up 14 percentage points from March 2017) and use these technologies in their daily lives (70%).

Three-quarters (75%) of respondents who are currently employed and did not answer the above question believe they have sufficient digital skills to do their job.

More than seven in ten non-retired, non-respondent respondents (72%, up 9 percentage points from March 2017) believe they have sufficient digital skills to perform in their future jobs if they find or change jobs in the next 12 months.

More than six in ten respondents (62%, up 1 percentage point from March 2017) have a positive attitude towards the use of robots and AI in the workplace, while nearly a third (32%, up 2 percentage points from March 2017) have a negative attitude. These views vary by country, with 86% of Danish respondents having a positive attitude, while less than half of respondents in Portugal or Greece (48% each) have a positive attitude.

Most agree that robots and AI increase the speed at which workers complete tasks (73%), that AI is necessary because it can complete tasks that are considered boring or repetitive (66%), and that robots and AI can be used to make accurate decisions in the workplace (53%).

Meanwhile, 66% believe that more jobs will be lost than created due to the use of robots and AI, and that robots and AI will take away jobs. Both of these percentages have fallen since March 2017 (down 8 and 6 percentage points, respectively).

Additionally, 61% believe that robots and AI have a negative impact on communication between colleagues.

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