As if the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce weren't unsettling enough, a new survey released Thursday said that more than half of U.S. managers are using AI to make critical employment decisions.
According to a poll from Resume Builder, more than 6 in 10 managers said they use AI to make decisions about their direct reports.
The survey also revealed that most managers will use AI when determining which employees deserve promotions at 77%, raises at 78%, or even being fired at 64%.
More than 1 in 5 of respondents let AI make the final decision without any human input, and half acknowledge being tasked with assessing if AI can replace any of their reports.
Stacie Haller, chief career adviser at Resume Builder, cautioned employers thinking of removing the human element from human resources.
"While AI can support data-driven insights, it lacks context, empathy, and judgment," she said.
The survey from Resume Builder comes as global leaders continue to urge technology firms to proceed with caution with the burgeoning technology. In June, a California state senator introduced the No Robo Bosses Act aimed at preventing employers from letting artificial intelligence make key decisions without human oversight.
"AI must remain a tool controlled by humans, not the other way around," state Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, said in a release announcing the legislation.
Following his election by the papal conclave earlier in May, Pope Leo XIV labeled AI the critical challenge facing humanity as he begins his tenure, saying it will require "responsibility and discernment" to deploy AI's "immense potential" to benefit rather than degrade humanity.
The Resume Builder survey began June 24 and was conducted among 1,342 U.S. managers using the online polling platform Pollfish. No margin of error was provided.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.