Almost half of Gen Z workers are too scared to talk to their colleagues without the help of artificial intelligence (AI), a new study suggests, according to Daily Mail Online.
Young people feel more comfortable using ChatGPT and other AI systems at work. PHOTO Getty Images
Brits aged 16-28 say they feel more comfortable talking to chatbots than their peers and need to use systems like ChatGPT and Google Gemini before attending meetings or networking events.
The data, exclusively shared with the Daily Mail by talent network Nova, worries experts, who say a “genuine conversation has become the rarest skill of all” in the modern work environment.
Around 45% of the 1,000 young workers surveyed in England, Scotland and Wales said they regularly use AI to prepare for professional conversations.
Two out of five respondents said technology makes them feel “more confident” when communicating with colleagues, while only a quarter stated that it does not help them at all.
The survey concluded that men use AI more often than women in the workplace, although 52% of Gen Z women admitted to using the technology to send professional emails and messages.
Amid the boom in working from home in recent years, 40% of young employees use software as “safety net” when they have nothing left to say to their colleagues.
The COVID pandemic, remote work and AI have “completely changed the way young professionals communicate”, said Andrea Marino, co-founder and CEO of Nova, for the Daily Mail.
Research has shown that Gen Z employees are too scared to talk to their colleagues without the help of AI in the workplace (stock image)
“We see a generation that is more connected than ever online, but less confident in person. While technology has made it easier to communicate with people, it has also made it more difficult to actually connect. The irony is that in an age of constant contact, genuine conversation has become the rarest skill of all. Those who master it will go further in their careers than any algorithm ever could.”said Andrea Marino, according to the Daily Mail.
The study found that more than a third of Gen Z employees even go to meetings with AI-prepared jokes to make others feel more at ease.
Some 33% said they practiced full conversations with the chatbot before meeting someone in real life to gauge which comments might be well received or not.
Young people find the software useful, as 60% of them actively avoid face-to-face networking events.
Approx. 29% of those surveyed said they feel socially anxious when faced with mundane conversations in real life.
Although the majority of young employees still consider it important to attend face-to-face events at work, more than a quarter of respondents said they would feel “lost” without consulting AI before doing something.
