Research from SD Worx suggests UK employees are moving beyond the question of whether AI belongs at work and are instead focusing on how it will shape the way they work in the years ahead. According to the study there has been a shift in employee attitudes with almost half (46 per cent) of UK employees expecting AI to support them by sharing tasks as part of their role, while a further 46 per cent expecting to continue carrying out most of their work themselves, with only limited AI involvement. Just 8 per cent believe AI will perform the majority of their role, suggesting employees largely see AI as a colleague rather than a replacement.
However, while employees increasingly expect AI to become a permanent part of working life, many feel they are not receiving the support needed to navigate the transition.
Less than three in ten (28 per cent) employees say they have attended AI-related training provided by their employer during the past year and only 30 per cent believe their organisation is helping them build the skills they’ll need in an AI-enabled workplace. Just 31 per cent say their employer is actively guiding employees through the transition to more AI-driven ways of working.
The findings suggest that many organisations have focused on implementing AI technologies, but less attention has been given to preparing employees to use them confidently and effectively.
For HR leaders, this marks an important shift. As AI becomes embedded across organisations, competitive advantage is likely to depend less on access to technology and more on how successfully organisations enable their people to work alongside it.
The research also highlights that successful AI adoption depends on employee confidence as much as technological capability. 71 per cent of UK employees believe AI systems should be transparent in how they make decisions, while just over half (54 per cent) trust their organisation to use AI fairly and ethically.
At the same time, employees remain broadly optimistic about their own future in an AI-enabled workplace. Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) believe their uniquely human capabilities cannot be replaced by AI, while six in ten (62 per cent) say they feel secure in their role despite increasing automation. Although almost three in ten (30 per cent) remain concerned that AI could make a significant part of their role redundant, the findings suggest employees are approaching AI with pragmatism rather than fear.
The findings suggest the next stage of workplace AI will be defined less by technology adoption and more by workforce readiness.
Bruce Fecheyr Lippens, Chief HR Officer at SD Worx, explains: “Much of the discussion around AI has focused on the technology itself, but our research suggests employees have already moved beyond that conversation. Most aren’t asking whether AI will become part of their working lives, they already expect it to.
“The challenge for employers is making sure people feel prepared for that future,” he adds. “Successful AI adoption isn’t simply about deploying new tools. It’s about building trust, developing skills and giving employees the confidence to use AI in ways that genuinely improve how they work.
“Organisations that invest as much in their people as they do in technology will be the ones that see the greatest long-term value from AI,” concludes Lippens.
