Desire to use AI outweighs job insecurity fears: Microsoft

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Business

Sat, September 23, 2023 | 14:22

Tech

Desire to use AI outweighs job insecurity fears: Microsoft

Posted : 2023-05-10 16:04

Updated : 2023-05-10 16:59

Lee Ji-eun, CEO of Microsoft Korea, speaks during a press conference at the company's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Microsoft Korea

By Baek Byung-yeul

Many people are worrying that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to job insecurity, but at the same time, they also want to hand over as much work as possible to AI so as to reduce their workloads, Microsoft Korea said Wednesday.

Microsoft shared its findings from its annual report, the 2023 edition of the Work Trend Index, which is based on a survey of 31,000 people from 31 countries including Korea. The index showed a workplace revolution of AI services coming to the fore for a growing number of people, the company said.

While 59 percent of respondents said they fear losing their jobs due to AI, 70 percent said they plan to hand over as many tasks as possible to AI. They also said that they would use AI not only for administrative tasks, but also for analytical and creative tasks too.

This trend was also similar among group leaders, Microsoft said. When they were asked about the benefits of AI in the workplace, 31 percent said increased employee productivity is a top benefit. This was followed by automating tasks, which was at 29 percent, improving employee well-being at 26 percent and creating an environment for high-value work, which was at 25 percent. Reducing the headcount, on the other hand, was the lowest of all responses at 16 percent.

"Many people are already aware of the benefits of AI in their work and look forward to it with anticipation," Lee Ji-eun, CEO of Microsoft Korea, said during a press conference at the company's office in Seoul. "As a co-pilot, AI will bring a whole new way of doing things, empowering individual creativity and driving the success of an organization."

"Digital technology has made us more productive, but there is also more work to be done in the face of information overload," said Oh Sung-mi, modern work business group lead of Microsoft Korea. "Applying AI to these tasks will help us generate innovative ideas."

The company also introduced an updated feature to its AI assistant Microsoft 365 Copilot. Using generative AI service, Copilot helps users of Microsoft's software programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams do more productive things more efficiently.

baekby@koreatimes.co.kr