Excitement or anxiety: Investigation of companies’ usage and attitudes towards GAI as a supportive technology for Human-AI collaboration in businesses. Insights from ICT specialists

Abstract

As GAI is starting to become more integrated into business, it has become crucial to clarify whether humans and GAI are currently collaborating in corporate settings, and the impact of this new technology on European enterprises. This research investigates the role of GAI and its adoption in the ICT sector, by exploring its usage. It examines how frequently GAI tools are used in a company at three corporate levels in seven European countries and identifies the GAI tools ICT specialists use for their daily tasks. It explores how GAI is influencing and changing these professionals’ work habits, improving their knowledge work, and transforming their jobs. It assesses the steps needed to navigate the risks and possibilities related to GAI.

The participants were ICT specialists working in various industries from Bulgaria, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Romania, and Sweden. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using Webropol, which was shared on LinkedIn to reach large groups and communities of ICT experts.

The quantitative results acknowledged how, by taking seven EU nations under study, in the ICT industry the integration of GAI tools is growing and how these are becoming crucial to routine operations. The findings could generalize that ICT experts use them primarily at the functional corporate level to leverage operational efficiency. At the strategic and administrative levels, however, these experts only slightly integrated GAI tools. Nevertheless, the outcomes confirmed that GAI technology is reshaping management across the three fundamental fields within an organization. By staying within the sample (n=341), the findings disclosed which GAI tools were used, and for which daily tasks these experts needed them the most. ICT professionals reported a slight business activity refinement since using GAI tools leading to moderate improvements in operational effectiveness. Interestingly, the research uncovered that GAI tools indicated by the ICT specialists are used for very low-value tasks, functioning mostly as refiners to polish business operations rather than replacing the whole workflow. The findings showed that the tools help in automating routine operations, making quicker decisions, and assisting new learners in improving their skill sets. Nevertheless, the results suggested that while productivity is slightly enhanced by GAI technology, GAI tools still require human oversight, quality data and training to maximize their potential, implying the constant need for human intellect and how this cannot be easily substituted. The results revealed ICT professionals’ disclosing a favorable attitude toward human-AI collaboration and GAI, recommending its use as supportive technology to other firms. The outcomes identified the presence of AI governance structures to control this technology in the organizations where ICT experts were employed, showing a commitment to promote responsible AI and GAI management, as well as AI-socialization in business. This was further demonstrated by some ICT specialists indicating that their companies were participating in collaborative ecosystems, revealing their openness to foster a collaborative strategy and promote GAI technology in a social, ethical, and beneficial way, suggesting the path to sustainable innovation in the ICT field.

This research provided key and valuable insights into the AI and GAI field, and the current GAI implementation into business, especially in the ICT industry, building the path for possible future studies. It offers ICT professionals a perspective on how GAI is currently used in their sector and helps policymakers and managers identify key challenges and opportunities related to GAI and build better governance structures and training programs. Developers can acknowledge the weaknesses this technology presents, while educational institutions understand how to prepare better their students for a new working system. This research encourages reflection on involving more the human intellect and therefore strengthening human-AI collaboration, by enhancing human capabilities and fostering a unique innovation, over a complete replacement.