The demand for artificial intelligence tools continues to span across industries, and CFOs have been on the forefront. Finance chiefs have prioritized personal upskilling and continue to learn more about AI, and new data suggests leaders are outpacing those in the rest of the company.
In Washington State University’s survey of 1,200 professionals on AI use, the study found 68% of senior leaders have received resources or information about these technologies from their organization, versus only 36% of junior or lower-level employees.
AI’s Use and Organizational Stance
Over 56% of the employees surveyed, including a number of CFOs, say they are using AI in some capacity at work. Survey findings show employees use the tools to predict labor trends (30%) and produce content for communications (24%). But for those who use AI in their role, over a fifth (22%) said they are using it without any leadership guidance.
Despite its popularity, leadership’s attitude towards AI varies greatly among organizations. Across all those surveyed, 30% said they feel their leadership has conveyed a measured, cautionary approach around AI use. A quarter (25%) said their leaders have shown enthusiasm and positivity around AI’s potential. But just over a fifth (22%) said their leaders have been either uncertain or negative, demonstrating consumption, fear, and/or pessimism around AI’s role.
Just over three-quarters of all respondents (76%) have said that in some capacity, their organization has taken some type of stance around AI’s role in the business.
Leadership Enthusiasm
Eighty-one percent of senior leaders said they were confident in their ability to explain the technology and its use case, versus just 48% of junior-level employees. There were also noticeable differences between seniority levels on the widespread use of AI in their organizations’ work would have a positive impact on employee efficiency (65% vs. 50%), business growth (57% vs. 36%), organizational reputation (47% vs. 30%), and employee retention (39% vs. 20%).
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of senior leaders added that AI is likely to have long-lasting changes in their industry, a notion that only 56% of junior-level employees agreed with.
The Responsibility to Teach
Nearly 88% of those surveyed said they believe universities should provide educational opportunities for students to learn about AI. And nearly three-quarters (74%) believe college graduates should have these experiences. Among all those surveyed, including those in junior, middle, and senior-level positions, over a fifth (22%) believe the responsibility of providing AI skills falls on higher education entirely.
With senior leaders receiving a majority of the upskilling attention, and with the rising expectations around entry-level workers’ AI experience, middle-level employees may find themselves stuck in a knowledge gap between their leaders and subordinates.
Those in leadership positions who are using company resources themselves to learn about these topics were more likely to believe that colleges should be teaching AI use cases, not companies. Eighty-five percent of leadership said entry-level hires should be prepared to use AI (vs. 78% of lower-level employees) and 79% believe they should be experienced with the technology, too (vs. 70% of junior-level employees).
The survey was conducted by Washington State University’s Carson College of Business online from November 28 to December 16, 2023, among 1,200 full-time professional workers in the United States.
All respondents were adults who work in a management, professional, or related occupation and work at least 30 hours a week, spending at least one hour each day using a computer or similar technology device.
