According to a new Slack report, the hype around generative AI may be starting to cool.

The survey of more than 17,000 office workers worldwide, published on November 12, revealed a disconnect between AI aspirations and adoption rates. The report focused on the barriers to AI adoption in the workplace and how leaders can clarify questions about it. The slight decline in global interest is notable after nearly a year of heightened excitement around AI.

“AI adoption isn’t just about businesses, it’s about employees,” Christina Janzer, head of the Slack Workforce Lab, said in a press release. “With AI sentiment waning, companies need to help employees accelerate their AI journey and address the cultural and organizational roadblocks that stand in their way.”

AI may not live up to the hype

Slack saw steady growth in AI adoption from September 2023 to March 2024. At its peak in March 2024, about a third (32%) of office workers surveyed used AI to do their jobs. This percentage has started to show a decline or plateau in the last three months.

More accurate:

• The US only saw a single percentage point increase in AI use, from 32% to 33% of office workers.
• “Enthusiasm” for AI helping with work tasks among workers worldwide fell by 6%.
• Excitement about AI has dropped 9% in the past three months in the US
• Excitement about AI has fallen by 12% in the last three months in France.

Almost all (99%) executives surveyed say they will make an investment in AI this year.

Nearly half of employees would be uncomfortable disclosing their use of AI to managers

While some companies are creating top-down initiatives to encourage the use of AI, many employees are reluctant to share their use of AI: 48% of survey participants said they would be uncomfortable telling their managers that they are using AI . They feared the perception of using AI as cheating, a resource of the less competent or lazy.

Specifically, Slack asked participants if they would be uncomfortable sharing their use of AI with their manager, not if they would be uncomfortable using AI at all. Survey respondents who feel comfortable sharing that they use AI at work are more likely to use it. However, the underlying fears reflect both technology and company culture.

SEE: AI can introduce security risks to organizations and security teams.

In general, the use of very popular technologies tends to settle over time. Slack noted that potential accusations of “laziness” and “cheating,” the perception that AI is “not yet living up to the hype,” and a lack of training in using AI are the main factors affecting employee views of the technology.

Employees are concerned that AI will not reduce administrative burdens

Proponents of artificial intelligence have long argued that the technology helps companies by automating rote tasks, thereby freeing up time for meaningful activities that support an organization’s bottom line. However, Slack’s report indicated that organizations have not seen reduced administrative workloads over the past few months. Instead, many employees suspect that AI could lead to more tedious work and an increase in workload.

“Employees are concerned that the time they save with AI will actually increase their workload—leaders expect them to work more at a faster pace,” Janzer said. “This gives leaders an opportunity to redefine what ‘productivity’ means, inspiring employees to improve the quality of their work, not just the quantity.”

When asked what they would like to do with the time saved by AI, participants said they want time to engage in non-work activities and skill development. But when asked what they would likely do with the extra time, people listed administrative tasks and extra work on existing projects.

How team leaders who want to advance artificial intelligence can change

Slack — which has its own AI assistant — recommends managers who want to promote AI:

• Run AI-related teambuilding exercises.
• Make AI usage and AI gains visible to the entire organization through convenient communication channels.
• Model AI use in managers’ own work, as appropriate.
• Focus on skill development and training in how to use generative AI.
• Redefine what productivity means by tying goals to innovative or creative work projects to drive the hard work of AI.
• Remember that AI cannot replace real human connection. Approach your team’s connections and the ways people ask each other for assistance with “intentionality.”

Slack also recommended that organizations train their employees to use artificial intelligence through short, impactful sessions, also known as “microlearning.”

“AI training programs don’t have to be hard,” said Chrissie Arnold, director of future-of-work programs at the Workforce Lab. “At Slack, we’ve had pretty amazing results from just 10 minutes a day of AI microlearning.”