Dive Brief:
- About half of employed adults responding to a recent survey said they had taken or received extra training for work in the past year — but few learned about artificial intelligence, according to Tuesday results from Pew Research Center.
- Only 12.2% of respondents said they took a class or received training on the use of artificial intelligence tools or technology.
- More than a third of respondents said AI skills are extremely or very important for workers today, but skills such as communication and critical thinking ranked much higher.
Dive Insight:
AI’s effect on the workplace is rapidly growing, but most HR leaders have not prioritized efforts to reskill those who may be most affected, according to a report from The Conference Board last month.
The speed with which the technology is evolving may be partly to blame. Employees have suggested elsewhere that AI is advancing faster than their company’s ability to train them.
Employee training sidesteps AI
Pew asked workers whether they had undertaken training in the past year and whether that training was related to AI tools or technology.
But that doesn’t mean employees aren’t using AI at work. Some say they’ve forged ahead with adoption even if their employers haven’t, McKinsey & Co. data showed last year.
And while many have banked on hiring AI talent — especially those with generative AI skills — a tech transformation “isn’t something companies can simply hire their way out of, as it affects the entire organization and its ways of working,” McKinsey partners said in an analysis, pointing to the benefits of upskilling and reskilling.
