The Wire: Qualtrics found a bare majority of employees and individual contributors trust leaders to implement AI effectively -- far lower than senior leaders.



Workers aren’t sure their bosses can be trusted to implement AI solutions effectively as companies strive to shift perceptions and expectations about AI, and provide more training. And, of course, build trust.

Research by Qualtrics, published in its State of AI in Employee Experience report, also found employees and employers have different views on AI’s near-term benefits.

The report found just 53% of employees and individual contributors trust leaders to implement AI effectively, which pins their confidence nearly 20 points below that of senior leaders. About as many managers, 52%, believe their boss will prioritize wellbeing over business results when making decisions about new technologies - 17% lower than senior leaders. Meantime, 47% of managers say new technology is being deployed with clear principles, ethics and guidelines. Sixty-nine percent of senior leaders agree.

"We’re seeing sizable perception gaps between employees and their senior leaders, which reveals a lack of trust,” said Qualtrics Chief Workplace Psychologist Benjamin Granger. “AI is a prominent source of change right now and the importance of building trust to unlock AI’s full potential cannot be overstated.”

To address such concerns, businesses must prioritize leadership behaviors that build trust, such as demonstrating care for employees, acknowledging and listening to concerns and over-communicating the thinking behind change, he said.