Invaluable Tool or Inevitable Threat? More Working Canadians Want Artificial Intelligence and Automation than Fear Negative Impact on Job Prospects

While slightly more than one-quarter (27%) of working Canadians fear their job is at risk due to the potential introduction of A.I./machine learning/automation in their workplaces, nearly one-in-three (31%) believe the introduction of these new approaches would help them do their job better – more so than any other mainstream technology available today. Three-in-five (59%) said they believe A.I. and automation will have a positive impact on the workforce overall in the future. "Much of the narrative around A.I. and automation in the workforce to date has included speculation about job loss," said Holger Kormann, President, ADP Canada. "However, the reality is that many Canadian employees see these tools as the next wave of resources to help them improve personal productivity and performance and not as a threat to job security or future employment prospects." Nearly all respondents (97%) say that technology has impacted the way they work each day, with smartphones (83%), laptop (80%) and desktop (79%) computers and social media (61%) having the greatest impact.