About 1.29 million Georgia workers have jobs in which artificial intelligence could handle some of their work, according to a company survey and estimate. Many small-business owners nationwide said loyalty would stop them from replacing an employee with AI.
What the survey found: Careerminds, a workforce services company, surveyed 3,022 small-business owners nationwide in July. Of those owners, 61% said AI could substantially reduce or replace the work of at least one employee.
Why owners are holding back: Loyalty was the main reason 33% of owners gave for keeping a worker instead of using AI. Another 17% cited the employee’s long service, 13% cited knowledge of the business, 12% felt responsible for the worker’s finances and 12% pointed to customer relationships.
How long they would wait: About 24% said they would keep an employee for six to 12 months if AI could do most of the work at a lower cost. Another 23% would keep the worker as long as the business could afford it, while 10% said they would keep the employee indefinitely.
Jobs outlook: Among owners surveyed, 56% expect AI to leave their businesses with fewer workers within three years. About 61% said they had delayed using AI because of its effect on employees, while 59% had rejected a specific AI tool because it would lead to job losses.
About the Georgia estimate: Careerminds calculated the Georgia figure by applying survey results to employment estimates. It is not a count of workers whose duties have been reviewed. The company did not provide the number of Georgia respondents or a margin of error for the state estimate.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
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