Thanks to AI, more workers are happier and earn a higher pay: studies
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The trend of employees earning a higher pay and improving job satisfaction – thanks to the use of artificial intelligence at work – became evident in 2024 and will likely continue to influence compensation reviews this year.
Three new studies show people have begun trusting their digital assistants more in the past 12 months. And they’re reaping the benefits of this human-AI partnership in terms of finances and overall satisfaction at work.
AI-empowered workers command higher salaries
The latest tech salary report from Dice found that people engaged in AI-augmented work were able to get ahead in their career.
“Professionals responsible for designing, developing, or implementing AI solutions command salaries 17.7% higher than their peers not involved in AI work – a premium that extends beyond base compensation differences,” analysts from Dice reported.
“Tech professionals working on AI initiatives are also more likely to hold senior positions, particularly in management and executive roles (CEO, CIO, CTO, VP, Director). This concentration of AI responsibilities at higher organisational levels partially explains the substantial salary advantage,” they said.
Career and salary growth, however, aren’t the only advantages of integrating AI into tasks and projects.
As the Dice report showed, tech workers engaged in AI initiatives report significantly higher job satisfaction than their peers, even when their pay is equal.
This satisfaction gap remains steadfast, even as non-AI roles enjoy salary boosts, hinting that AI work offers more than just financial rewards.
Those in AI may find a deeper sense of purpose and intellectual thrill – an intangible currency that money simply can’t match.
“For tech professionals, this data should convince you it’s worth taking the time and resources to learn at least some AI skills,” the study recommended.
“Keep in mind that you don’t need to necessarily master the nuances of deep learning; for many in the tech industry, getting a solid handle on prompt engineering is more than enough to unlock the benefits of AI.”
Also Read: The world's most in-demand jobs by 2030
Capitalising on AI at work
While the threat of AI job displacement remains, especially among white-collar jobs, knowledge workers are also “capitalising on AI to get an edge,” according to findings from Freshworks, which also looked into the impact of AI uptake on the salaries of workers.
About 2 in 5 employees (38%) said AI helped them get a salary increase or promotion. A similar percentage also said they would fall behind in their tasks if not for their use of AI, the study said.
Two years since the advent of generative AI onto the mainstream – in the form of ChatGPT, most commonly – organisations are reporting their ROI from integrating AI into their work. A separate Freshworks study found the following benefits of AI usage:
- Productivity increases (52%)
- Better quality of work (47%)
- Improved customer engagement (34%)
- Revenue increases (33%)
These results coincide with growing confidence in AI among employees, with more than a quarter using AI at work every day (26%) and 7 in 10 employing it at least once a week.
“Workers aren’t just embracing AI in their jobs, they’re demanding more: AI usage has grown across all core business departments over the last six months. AI is helping employees be more time efficient and cutting busywork; it is also boosting job satisfaction, job retention, compensation, and even career prospects,” analysts from Freshworks said.