AI may be the defining trend of 2024, but it is also realizing the fears of being replaced at the same time, particularly among younger workers.

The AI in the Workplace Report, composed of research among 1,150 US workers from careers and resume service Zety, found that AI use has proliferated since last year and interest is high among workers to learn new AI skills. 

Of the workers surveyed, nearly half (48%?) use systems like ChatGPT for work, while a further one quarter (23%) said they use such tools both for work and at home.

Only 1% of those surveyed said they do not use AI.

While the increased use of AI tools may not be a surprise given how central the technology has quickly become to HR leaders, continued concern over job losses among workforces is becoming a reality for some.

Zety’s report showed that 43% of workers under 25 surveyed had already lost a job “because of AI”, compared to 27% of those aged 26-40 and 19% of those aged over 41.

Speaking to UNLEASH, Zety career expert Dominika Kowalska explained younger workers are more likely to see a loss of work to AI as they are more likely to be in entry-level positions filled with “straight forward or monotonous tasks”. 

Kowalska adds: “Due to less work experience, younger workers often have fewer specialized skills than older workers, which can make it harder for them to land roles that are resistant to AI.

“These roles — ones that rely on critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving — are usually in the wheelhouse of seasoned, more established workers.”

As such, Kowolska advocates that HR leaders “carefully consider” how they use younger workers in positions that allow them to perform tasks that AI cannot, primarily with duties that require “creativity, problem-solving and other types of complex thinking”.

“In addition to training workers in AI skills, companies should look for ways that human workers can enhance AI’s uses and improve it.

A human touch can personalize AI’s output in ways the technology hasn’t yet mastered.”

The future is now and employees want the right skills

Despite the concerning number of jobs lost among young people to AI, the report also found a significant appetite among US workers to learn new AI skills.

Of the 1,150 surveyed, 100% of respondents indicated they were interested in learning more AI-based skills – 53% were very interested while 47% were somewhat interested in developing new AI skills.

Enthusiasm among workers to focus attention on developing these skills may be a reflection of the limited time many of them have been using them either at work or at home, if not both.

Zety’s research showed the majority of AI users (60%) only started using these tools in 2023, with a further 26% not starting until this year – coinciding with the explosion in popularity of generative AI tools becoming available for both professional and personal use.

Meanwhile, just 13% were using AI prior to 2022 and 5% to 2021.

However, it remains to be seen what impact growing AI skills among workers will have on their job security going forwards.

“Boosting opportunities for reskilling and upskilling the workforce is essential in mitigating job losses due to AI, but it’s not a complete solution,” adds Kowalska.

While the vast majority of workers are involved in training or taking other steps to develop or expand their AI skills, Kowalska warns that the increasing speed of AI development “may outpace the workforce’s ability to retrain, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to address the challenges of automation.”