The majority of audit and governance professionals (72%) are not scared of AI tools taking their jobs, according to a new UK survey and most say that they are actively using AI for career development purposes.
The survey, carried out by CareersinAudit.com, asked audit and governance professionals how AI is being implemented in their organisations, their attitudes towards the tech and what their biggest concerns are with using the tools.
In terms of generational differences, it was 26-30-year-olds who feel most threatened by GenAI, with 36% of that demographic saying they think their roles could be at risk. Those aged between 31-40 expressed the next highest level of concern (27%), followed by 41-50-year-olds (19%) and 51-60-year-olds (10%). The least concerned demographics were the oldest and youngest, with just 5% of respondents aged 61+ saying they are worried and only 2% of 18-25’s expressing concern.
Despite the worry expressed by some, most professionals (88%) said they are actively using GenAI tools for career development purposes.
Regarding how they use it, the most popular answers were re-writing CVs/ cover letters and using it for research or insights, each selected by 41% of respondents.
Interview preparation was also a favourable response, with 25% of participants ticking that box, closely followed by improving job searches which gained 24%.
Commenting on the survey findings, Simon Wright, Director of CareersinAudit.com and the Careers in Group specialist job boards said: “While the vast majority of industry professionals don’t see GenAI as a threat to their jobs, the differences in attitude between age brackets is interesting.
“The fact that 26-30-year-olds are the most concerned could be due to many in this age range being in mid-career positions, which often include tasks that can be considered prime targets for automation by GenAI, such as data analysis or reporting.
“Becoming experts in utilising the Gen AI tools could be the way forward, using it to enhance efficiency rather than see it as a potential enemy that could make their role redundant.”