American CFOs and Workers Trust AI the Least

Adopting AI in the workplace is going to be a struggle unless attitudes about the controversial technology improves. And there’s no guarantee that finance professionals or the average American worker will ever learn to love, let alone trust, generative AI.

Maybe that’s a good thing: Plenty of pretty smart people warn AI is dangerous in the wrong hands. Elon Musk says AI is the “biggest existential threat to mankind” in part because it may put tens to hundreds of millions of people out of work. Stephen Hawking goes a step further: AI could wipe out the human race altogether. Even Pope Francis is sounding the alarm and calling on governments to rein in AI.

Now let’s face it: Joe in Accounting probably isn’t worrying too much about the geopolitical impacts of AI. Joe’s probably heard of companies laying off workers whose job duties can be done by AI. Maybe Joe’s feeling pressure to learn about AI and is worried he could be next. Or perhaps Joe and some of his co-workers are testing out AI in their work routines. And they’re finding that while AI is useful for some tasks, it’s not quite the end-all-be-all tech enthusiasts can make it out to be.

American Employees Don’t Buy into AI Benefits

Compared to workers in other countries, particularly in Asia, Americans come in dead last on the AI enthusiasm meter! Axios surveyed thousands of workers worldwide about AI’s impact on productivity: Only 17% of U.S. workers said AI boosted productivity. Twelve percent thought it helped, while a combined 70% said the technology had a neutral effect or they didn’t know.

Compare those pessimistic percentages with India — 67% of workers report AI is helping them get more work done and faster. Native workers in Indonesia (62%), the United Arab Emirates (62%), Mexico (46%) and Australia (34%) are also more bullish about using AI to do their jobs than Americans (hat tip to Unusual Whales.)

CNBC reported on how Americans seem to becoming more uncomfortable with AI the more they come to learn about it. Americans as a whole dislike AI more now than they did back in 2016 when most folks weren’t seeing any impact on their jobs or how things work in their everyday lives.

AI Spending: Finance is Barely Dipping its Toe in

Finance leaders are, by and large, taking a wait-and-see approach to AI. The proof of that is in spend goals for the next year. Sixty-two percent of CFOs plan to allocate less than 1% of their companies’ budgets to AI projects in the coming year, according to a Deloitte survey. Just 37% expect that 1% to 10% of their 2025 budgets will go toward AI initiatives.

“Despite the promise of AI — and pressure from some boards to deploy it — the technology has yet to have a measurable impact on many finance departments,” Deloitte concluded. “While CFOs appear to be preparing to adopt GenAI, our survey shows some aren’t there yet. Consider this: 60% of surveyed CFOs said bringing in talent with GenAI skills over the next two years is either extremely important or very important. But when asked what degree of impact GenAI is having on their current finance talent model, 61% of CFOs indicated either minimal impact or no impact at all.”

Also: 70% of CFOs expect an eventual 1% to 10% boost in productivity from AI. “For many CFOs, measuring [AI’s] value is problematic,” says Deloitte. Many boards and CEOs are no doubt considering the payroll savings and cost-cutting that AI can provide. They may be less worried about cybersecurity risks, which often ranks at or near the top of CFO and CIO concerns.

They May Never Love AI, but They Can Learn to Accept It

While AI clearly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, most folks can read the writing on the wall. Eighty-five percent of employees across the spectrum of occupations expect they’ll have to use AI in their jobs, according to a World Economic Forum survey. That same organization predicts a net gain of 10 million jobs as displaced workers utilize AI (color me skeptical on that rosy outlook).

Employees may be fearful of AI’s potential, or they just don’t buy into it because they don’t see tangible results in their areas. They can benefit from learning how some professions are seeing a spike in productivity. For example, hiring and human resources management is one area where AI is automating “many routine HR tasks like screening resumes, conducting background checks and managing employee records,” says Beth Hanson, VP of HR at DeVry.

AI is also proving useful in screening job applicants. “AI can analyze employee data to predict the likelihood of attrition, allowing HR to develop retention strategies before top talent leaves,” says Hanson. Leveraging AI could boost HR productivity by 30% and create a trickle-down effect for companies’ revenue-generating areas.