Do Hoosiers Fear AI Takeover In The Workplace?

Robots and artificial intelligence may be coming for human jobs, but most in Indiana don't think it will be theirs becoming automated.

Photo by KUKA Roboter GmbH, Bachmann, Wikimedia Commons.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Despite the rapid rise of technology, a new survey says most Hoosiers are not worried about robots taking their jobs.

Paul McDonald from the staffing firm Robert Half says Indianapolis is the city where the most employees feel artificial intelligence will have no impact on their jobs. Thirty-nine-percent of those surveyed in the Jobs and Anxiety report think AI can actually help them at work.

"Helping them be more productive, develop new skills, and actually help them be more creative and problem solving on the job," McDonald said. 

The report found nationally, only 12-percent of American workers are concerned automation will negatively impact their employment. Sixty-seven-percent of those surveyed in Indiana say they expect no change in their workplace.

McDonald says 47-percent of employers surveyed anticipate hiring more staff as they implement new tech. 

"The future is bright, not just for the current worker but also for the prognosis for the hiring of new staff," he said. "Automation allows the worker to step out of the mundane task and be focus on a lot of the strategy and critical thinking skills and soft skills are therefore so much more important."

The survey also found most employers anticipate keeping current staff and training them on new technologies instead of replacing staff with computers. However, 80-percent of employers say they do expect difficulties training staff on new computer systems.