Understanding employees' responses to artificial intelligence

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from buzzword to rapid adoption across the globe. Nearly half of the respondents in a 2018 McKinsey survey of global firms said their organizations have embedded at least one application of AI into their standard business processes, while another 30% report piloting the use of AI (Selected bibliography 1). The advancing capabilities of AI are driving business transformation at multiple levels, from tasks and occupations to operational processes and business models. Leveraging AI has become a necessity for organizations hoping to elevate their performance and create a competitive advantage. The rapid rollout of AI applications is creating new stress for employees and how they respond – whether employees lead or flee – will influence the success of AI implementation projects. Before discussing the different AI profiles and how these translate into actions, we present a brief introduction to the technology