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The most skillful employees get the most out of generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has become an integral part of the working day for many employees in Denmark. The technology now plays a particularly significant role in task completion among employees working in data and IT.
However, a new analysis by the think tank Mandag Morgen, carried out in collaboration with IDA, DM, HK and DI Digital, shows that the benefits are far from evenly distributed.
One of the clearest differences is employees’ ability to use the technology:
‘The analysis shows that employees with the strongest GenAI skills are also those who feel they gain the most value from the technology. Skills development should therefore no longer be regarded as merely optional. It is an essential investment for companies that want to succeed with generative artificial intelligence,’ says Malene Matthison-Hansen, Chair of IDA’s Council of Employees.
At the same time, the analysis indicates that many of the most important improvements do not depend solely on new technological breakthroughs or political decisions. The partner organisations behind the analysis therefore conclude that workplaces across Denmark can make substantial progress by setting clear objectives, providing skills development and introducing systematic quality assurance – measures that individual workplaces can start implementing now.
‘With our six recommendations, we are giving workplaces practical inspiration for introducing generative artificial intelligence responsibly and with employees on board,’ says Malene Matthison-Hansen.
IDA members are among the frontrunners
The analysis, conducted with Norstat and supported by the Tietgen Foundation, is based on responses from 3,174 employees aged 18–67 who work full or part time at workplaces where generative AI tools may or must be used.
Data and IT employees are the group in which GenAI is most widely used. Here, 35 per cent use generative AI for a large share of their tasks, while only 12 per cent do not use the technology at all. According to the analysis, data and IT are therefore well ahead of most other sectors.
This is an important finding for IDA, as many IDA members work in the very fields where the technology is already used extensively and where experience with GenAI is therefore greatest.
Artificial intelligence is filtering into the workplace
One of the analysis’s main conclusions is that the extent to which the introduction of generative artificial intelligence is led by management varies considerably. Thirty-nine per cent experience no direction from management; 17 per cent say management has guided implementation through a strategic direction, clear objectives and a clear framework; and 28 per cent describe a process in which management encourages employees to start using the tools.
The picture also varies by sector. A strategic, management-led process is most common in data and IT, at 25 per cent. This aligns closely with an analysis of IDA members earlier this year, which showed that around half of workplaces had guidelines for working with generative AI.
‘IDA members are calling for clear purposes and frameworks. When I compare that with the results of this analysis, which show that support for using GenAI at work is strongest where purpose, guidelines, skills and influence are in place, I have no doubt that it is in everyone’s best interests for management to take responsibility for this,’ says Malene Matthison-Hansen.
Skills are the key to realising the benefits
The analysis finds a clear link between GenAI skills and perceived value. Employees with strong GenAI skills are far more likely to experience time savings, improvements in quality and new opportunities at work than employees with weaker skills.
Employees in data and IT are the most likely to feel they have the necessary GenAI skills. In this sector, 55 per cent believe they have the skills needed to use GenAI at work to a great extent.
However, the analysis also reveals considerable room for improvement. Twenty-three per cent of all employees in the analysis feel that they have the necessary GenAI skills only to a limited or very limited extent. At the same time, one in six employees has no access to skills development at work.
‘Skills development must keep pace with changing tasks. If companies want employees to use GenAI more – and use it better – they must also allocate the time and resources needed to build the relevant skills,’ says Malene Matthison-Hansen.
This is one of the key messages in the partner organisations’ recommendations for workplaces.
Recommendations for implementing generative artificial intelligence at work
Recommendation 1:
Set a strategic direction and communicate the purpose of using generative artificial intelligence.
Recommendation 2:
Create a clear framework and meaningful guidelines for its use.
Recommendation 3:
Collaborate on development and embed it across the organisation.
Recommendation 4:
Prioritise skills development and build organisational capacity.
Recommendation 5:
Recognise that working with AI creates new types of tasks, and adapt workflows accordingly.
Source: Recommendations catalogue: Implementing generative artificial intelligence in the workplace, Mandag Morgen, IDA, DI Digital, HK and DM.
GenAI changes the work – but does not remove it
More than half of employees find that GenAI helps them complete tasks more quickly. At the same time, however, the analysis indicates that GenAI creates new types of work.
One in three employees report spending a great deal of time writing prompts and quality-assuring GenAI output. This is particularly true of the most intensive users and employees with strong GenAI skills – including many IDA members.
In technical and knowledge-intensive fields, it is rarely enough simply to accept a response from a generative AI model. Data must be verified, calculations checked, sources assessed and results tested.
This point recurs throughout both the report and the recommendations catalogue, which highlight the need for validation, quality assurance and clear workflows.
‘This clearly shows that GenAI does not reduce the need for professional expertise. On the contrary, professional judgement is becoming even more important,’ Malene Matthison-Hansen points out.
The partner organisations behind the analysis therefore recommend that companies recognise prompting, validation and quality assurance as genuine work tasks and incorporate them into workflows and resource planning.
Confidence in the future goes hand in hand with professional development
The analysis shows that employees’ outlook on the future is closely linked to their skills. Confidence is greatest among employees with strong GenAI skills, extensive use of the technology and influence over how it is used. At the same time, around one in three employees express concern that demand for their skills may decline or that their professional development may stagnate.
This clearly shows that GenAI does not reduce the need for professional expertise. On the contrary, professional judgement is becoming even more important.Malene Matthison-Hansen,
Chair of IDA’s Council of Employees
The concern is not necessarily about losing a job. It is just as much about how employees can continue to build experience and judgement and develop their professional expertise in a working life where GenAI takes over some of the tasks people have traditionally learnt from.
‘At IDA, we are very focused on how the employees of the future can continue to build experience and judgement and develop their professional expertise in a working life where more tasks are completed with the help of generative artificial intelligence,’ says Malene Matthison-Hansen.
People also matter for future competitiveness
The analysis’s overall conclusion is that introducing generative artificial intelligence at work is not solely a question of technology. Companies that want to realise the benefits should also consider how employees can develop the necessary skills, how quality can be assured and how employees can continue to develop their professional expertise in a working life shaped by artificial intelligence.
‘I believe the analysis shows that there are many opportunities within easy reach, and that companies can already create a better framework for employees’ use of GenAI by setting a clear direction, investing in skills development and establishing robust quality-assurance processes. At the same time, employees are raising concerns that we need to pay attention to and will follow closely. I hope workplaces across Denmark will respond positively to the analysis and our recommendations, because introducing generative artificial intelligence responsibly is a shared responsibility,’ says Malene Matthison-Hansen.
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