Exploring Employee Attitudes Toward Artificial Intelligence in a Marketing Company
Peurala, Sofia (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121837848
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025121837848
Tiivistelmä
This thesis investigates how employees in a marketing-oriented organisation use, perceive and engage with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their daily work. The study addresses three questions: (1) How is AI used by employees in the case company? (2) What attitudes do employees hold toward AI adoption? and (3) How do these attitudes shape their engagement with AI technologies? Guided by the Attitudes Toward Technology (ATT) framework by Kerschner & Ehlers (2016), the research explores attitudinal, experiential and organisational influences on AI use.
The study is based on nine semi-structured interviews analysed through thematic analysis. Findings show that employees use AI selectively and task-specifically, most commonly for summarising information, supporting content creation, generating ideas or visuals, and assisting with basic analysis. Attitudes reflected a mix of pragmatic optimism, reflective scepticism, romantic ambivalence and a sense of technological inevitability, which shaped both enthusiasm for experimentation and hesitation stemming from uncertainty or limited confidence.
The results demonstrate that successful AI adoption depends not only on technical capability but also on organisational conditions such as clear communication, ethical guidance and opportunities for learning. Overall, the study shows that AI adoption is a socio-technical process shaped by emotional, cognitive and contextual factors, and highlights the importance of supportive organisational environments for fostering confident and responsible AI use.
The study is based on nine semi-structured interviews analysed through thematic analysis. Findings show that employees use AI selectively and task-specifically, most commonly for summarising information, supporting content creation, generating ideas or visuals, and assisting with basic analysis. Attitudes reflected a mix of pragmatic optimism, reflective scepticism, romantic ambivalence and a sense of technological inevitability, which shaped both enthusiasm for experimentation and hesitation stemming from uncertainty or limited confidence.
The results demonstrate that successful AI adoption depends not only on technical capability but also on organisational conditions such as clear communication, ethical guidance and opportunities for learning. Overall, the study shows that AI adoption is a socio-technical process shaped by emotional, cognitive and contextual factors, and highlights the importance of supportive organisational environments for fostering confident and responsible AI use.