Young employees also admit to using personal apps and software amid tech tool overload
Fear of losing work because of artificial intelligence is making young employees hesitant to admit they use the technology, according to a new report.
Cox Business recently surveyed more than 1,000 Gen Z and Millennial employees in the United States to determine how they are navigating tech tools at work.
It found that more than 60% feel positive about AI's growing role at work. In fact, among the most common uses of AI agents in the workplace are summarising long documents or meeting notes, brainstorming ideas, analysing data or creating charts, and coding or debugging.
Despite the widespread use, about 50% of the respondents said they are nervous to admit how much of their work is accomplished by AI.
This is because 47% of the respondents are worried that AI could replace their jobs, according to the report.
It reflects the widespread fear among workers of losing their jobs to AI following previous predictions that the technology will impact entry-level work and expose millions of jobs to risk.
For younger workers, 40% of Gen Zs and 38% of Millennials believe that AI will replace certain job roles but create new opportunities in the next two to three years, according to the Cox report.
The result of keeping employers in the dark about AI use can result in potential cyber risks, such as data leaks and losses, as previous studies have warned.
But AI isn't the only tech tool that young employees use without their employers' knowledge, as 63% of them admitted that they occasionally or frequently use personal apps or software for work.
For Gen Zs (42%) and Millennials (54%), they believe their personal tools are faster and easier to use.
More than two in three (69%) young employees also said they feel overwhelmed by the number of tools they're expected to use, despite 86% saying they feel confident in adopting new technology.
Jeff Breaux, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Cox Communications, said their findings show how organisations can better align with the expectations of younger employees when it comes to tech.
"This presents a tremendous opportunity for companies and their IT teams to enhance their strategies around tech investment, rollouts, training, and policies; ensuring they meet the evolving needs of a workforce that is rapidly becoming the majority," Breaux said in a statement.
