Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace. How does the German population perceive the influence of artificial intelligence on the future of the workplace?

The fear of losing one´s job due to increasing automation of processes and the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) is considered the overarching concern for employees when they ponder the effects of digitization. The following survey shows that these representations only reflect the actual concerns of the respondents to a limited extent. One of the key findings of the study is that the surveyed citizens perceive little potential for change in their own workplace. However, those who do expect changes clearly differentiate between various aspects of work. They expect positive outcomes of AI has potential when it comes to matters involving occupational health and safety, the necessary skill requirements and the overall workload. However, the maintenance of social contacts, their respective income or opportunities for co-determination in the workplace could suffer according of the respondents. The handling of data by and potential workplace surveillance through AI are two of the biggest concerns. Only very few people fear job loss for themselves, people from their private environment as well as mass unemployment.

Recommended citation: Došenović, P., Starke, C., Kieslich, K., Baleis, J., & Marcinkowksi, F. (2020). Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace. How does the German population perceive the influence of artificial intelligence on the future of the workplace? Factsheet No. 3 of the Meinungsmonitor Künstliche Intelligenz.[Opinion Monitor Artificial Intelligence].
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