Understanding Employee Reactions to AI: 3 Takeaways From our Webinar

In our recent ‘Think like a People Scientist’ webinar, I was joined by Megan Benzing, Microsoft Senior People Scientist. We delved into the fascinating topic of the individual employee perspective about AI transformation. During our discussion, Megan shared valuable insights from her research on AI adoption and employee personas.

As organizations increasingly integrate AI into their workflows, understanding how employees react to these changes is crucial. Employees are the backbone of any successful AI transformation, and their engagement and readiness can significantly impact the overall success of these initiatives. By focusing on the individual employee perspective, we can better support and guide them through this transformative journey. Read more about the role of the employee in ‘The State of AI Change Readiness’ eBook.

In our webinar, Megan presented findings from the AI readiness survey conducted in 2024, which included responses from 1800 global employees across various levels and industries. The research uncovered five distinct AI transformation profiles. Each profile represents different levels of engagement, past experiences with change, and attitudes towards AI:

• Multipliers: Highly engaged and proactive in AI adoption
• Advocates: Supportive and quick to adopt AI, following the lead of multipliers
• Persuadables: Flexible and open to AI, needing encouragement and resources
• AI Skeptics: Engaged but hesitant about AI, requiring convincing and support
• Change Pessimists: Disengaged and overwhelmed by change, needing targeted support and communication

Understanding these profiles helps organizations tailor their AI transformation strategies to meet the unique needs of their employees, ensuring a more inclusive and successful rollout. Watch the webinar recording below to learn how you can support and encourage the different employee profiles on your AI transformation journey.

Here are three key takeaways to consider from this discussion:

1. An employee’s alignment to a particular profile is not static. Changing experiences and sentiments cause shifts between profiles over time.
2. Meet people where they are, without judgement. Craft a change strategy that meets your people where they feel safe from judgement. Acknowledge that the different personas each have a role to play in your understanding of AI transformation, even the Change Pessimists!
3. Focus on critical EX moments and rely on strong change management fundamentals. This ensures no employee gets left behind.

To further explore these insights and learn how to navigate AI transformation in your organization, we invite you to:

• Read our Research Drop on the AI Personas to dive deeper.
• Access the slides from the webinar below and think about how you would use the data available to you to group your employees.
• Read the full AI readiness e-book: Discover practical recommendations for supporting your employees.
• Join our next ‘Think like a People Scientist’ webinar: On April 9th, we’ll discuss the collaboration between HR and IT in driving AI transformation.

Thank you for being part of our ‘Think like a People Scientist’ series.  We look forward to seeing you at our next event!