The 2023 edX AI Survey

NAVIGATING THE
WORKPLACE IN
THE AGE OF AI
How a strong focus on AI skills will help
the C-Suite future-proof their business,
their workforce, and their own careers
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Beyond the Hype 3

Key Findings 4
AI Is Rapidly Reshaping the World of Work 5
Every Level of the Organization Will Be Affected by AI 6
How AI Will Redefine the Role of the Executive  7
Could AI Spell the End of Entry-Level Knowledge Work?  9
AI Skills Can Offer a Significant Career Advantage 10
Executives and Employees Are Moving Quickly to Adapt,
but Workplace Learning Programs Aren’t Keeping Up 12
Is Your Workforce Ready for the Age of AI? 14
Methodology 14
About edX 14
About Workplace Intelligence 14
edX | Workplace Intelligence
 BEYOND THE HYPE
Across all industries, the development of new The C-Suite executives surveyed estimate that nearly
technologies is rapidly transforming the world half (49%) of the skills that exist in their workforce
of work and driving the need for employees today won’t be relevant in 2025, and they feel 47% of
to learn new skills. One skillset that’s quickly their workforce is unprepared for the future of work.
becoming essential is the ability to use Artificial Not surprisingly, most executives report that they’re
struggling to find talent with AI skills.
Intelligence, or AI.

As AI continues to reshape tomorrow’s workplace, it’s

In the workplace, AI skills can include technical skills
up to leaders to ensure their business has the right
(e.g., skills required to program/engineer AI products)
skills to stay competitive. But with so much competition
as well as non-technical skills (e.g., skills required to use
for talent, executives will need to look internally and
generative AI tools). By one estimate, the number of job
focus on upskilling their current workforce.
postings related to generative AI alone has increased
more than 450% from a year ago.1
Fortunately, the survey revealed that employees are
enthusiastic about learning AI skills — but many aren’t
To better understand how AI will impact the world
getting the support they need from their employers. As
of work, edX partnered with Workplace Intelligence
the C-Suite navigates the age of AI, they must prioritize
to survey 800 non-executive knowledge workers —
supporting every level of the organization with an
comprising individual contributors and managers — and
outcomes-based learning & development program.
800 C-Suite executives, including over 500 CEOs. This
Those that don’t will struggle to succeed in tomorrow’s
report describes the survey’s key findings, including
AI-driven workplace.
how quickly AI is being adopted, why learning AI
skills will be critical for employees at every level of
the organization, and how executives and workers are 1
Computerworld. (July 19, 2023). AI-skills job postings jump
adapting to the rapid rise of AI. 450%; here’s what companies want. Retrieved from https://
www.computerworld.com/article/3702711/ai-skills-job-
postings-jump-450-heres-what-companies-want.html

EXECUTIVES BELIEVE
NEARLY HALF OF THE SKILLS
THAT EXIST IN TODAY’S
WORKFORCE WON’T BE
RELEVANT IN 2025

edX | Workplace Intelligence 3

 KEY FINDINGS
According to survey respondents:
There’s widespread agreement about the importance of AI, While executives are embracing learning AI skills, many are
but companies are finding it difficult to adapt. concerned about falling behind.

87% 79%
of the C-Suite say they’re of C-Suite executives fear that
struggling to find talent with AI if they don’t learn how to use
skills, and 77% say AI is disrupting AI, they’ll be unprepared for the
their business strategy. future of work.

Executives believe most functions at their organization will Executives believe AI proficiency will provide a significant
be replaced by AI — including the CEO role. career advantage.

of C-Suite executives believe

47% 82%
of the C-Suite believe workers
“most” or “all” of the CEO role
who are skilled at using AI should
should be completely automated
be paid more, and 74% feel they
or replaced by AI — and 49% of
should be promoted more often.
CEOs agree.

However, employees don’t realize how much they’ll Contrary to what you’d expect, the C-Suite doesn’t care if
be affected. employees use AI to work for another company.

20% 82%
of knowledge workers think of executives say employees
“most” or “all” of their role could should be allowed to use AI to
be replaced by AI. work multiple jobs.

Entry-level knowledge workers are particularly at risk of Employees are eager to learn AI skills, but workplace
being replaced by AI. learning programs aren’t keeping up.

of employees are using their

56% 24%
company’s programs to
of entry-level roles will be
learn AI skills, and 39% say
eliminated, as estimated by
it’s likely they’ll quit for a job
C-Suite executives.
that offers better learning &
development opportunities.

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 AI IS RAPIDLY RESHAPING
THE WORLD OF WORK
It’s perhaps not surprising that 77% of the C-Suite For example, workers anticipate that they’ll spend more
believe AI skills will increase in importance over time on meaningful tasks, reviewing AI outputs, and
the next 1–2 years, and nearly 8 out of 10 say their collaborating with colleagues, and less time helping
company is already using AI. While 41% of executives customers/clients. Employees also believe the scope
are only permitting AI use with close oversight and of their job will expand, they’ll be held to a higher
some precautions, 38% say they’re moving as quickly performance standard, and they’ll be tasked with
as possible to integrate AI into their business strategy. more work.

In fact, executives estimate that within the next year, Companies — specifically managers — are clearly
60% of their workforce will require some level of already attuned to some of the benefits of AI. Nearly
proficiency with developing AI or using AI-powered 3 out of 10 workers report that their manager either
tools. However, most are finding it difficult to get encourages or expects them to use AI. And surprisingly,
ahead of this trend — 87% say they’re struggling to employees are far less anxious about these changes
find talent with AI skills and 77% say AI is disrupting than one might think, with only around a third saying
their business strategy. they feel overwhelmed (33%) or threatened (31%) by AI.

Fortunately, employees may already be one step However, there’s still some uncertainty about the
ahead: 59% are currently using AI at work, and 77% broader impacts of AI, including the effect it could have
and 85% believe they’ll be using AI within the next on employees’ job security. Only around half of workers
1 and 5 years, respectively. It follows that 72% of (52%) agree that AI will have an overall positive impact
employees agree it will be important for them to on the workplace, and 1 out of 4 say they would not
improve their AI skills within the next 1–2 years, and want AI to support or augment their role, even if their
58% say their job will be redefined by AI in at least pay remained the same.
one way.

85%
77%
EMPLOYEES BELIEVE
THEIR USE OF AI WILL
GROW SIGNIFICANTLY
OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS
59%

CURRENTLY NEXT NEXT 5

YEAR YEARS

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 EVERY LEVEL OF
THE ORGANIZATION
WILL BE AFFECTED
BY AI
Executives say AI is set to replace or augment many
THERE’S A DISCONNECT
functions at their organization within the next 5
years. While executives believe the C-Suite is least
BETWEEN PERCEPTIONS
likely to be affected, it’s still remarkable that 56%
OF THE C-SUITE
anticipate their company’s executive-level roles will AND EMPLOYEES:
be completely or partially replaced by AI.

Employees, on the other hand, are much less

likely to feel that AI will replace these functions
— including their own roles. And although 76%
of workers agree that at least a little of their
role could be supported by AI, just 20% think
“most” or “all” of their role could be completely
automated or replaced by AI. OF THE C-SUITE BELIEVE EXECUTIVE
LEADERSHIP OR C-SUITE ROLES
AT THEIR ORGANIZATION WILL BE
This indicates that employees may not “COMPLETELY” OR “PARTIALLY”
recognize how drastically AI will affect the REPLACED BY AI
workplace in the years to come, while
the C-Suite believes AI’s impact will be

VS.
significant and far-reaching. For workers, it
will be important to come to terms with the
new reality reshaping the workplace and
their own career trajectories.

OF EMPLOYEES THINK “MOST”

OR “ALL” OF THEIR ROLE COULD
BE COMPLETELY AUTOMATED
OR REPLACED BY AI

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 49%
OF CEOS THINK
“MOST” OR “ALL” OF
THEIR ROLE SHOULD
BE COMPLETELY
AUTOMATED BY AI

HOW AI WILL
REDEFINE THE
ROLE OF THE
EXECUTIVE
Nearly 9 out of 10 C-Suite executives say at least “a
little” of their job could be automated by AI, and 83%
believe their job will be redefined by AI over the next
year. Surprisingly, 49% of executives believe “most” or
“all” of their job could be completely replaced by AI.

9/10
Even the top ranks of leadership will be affected: 47%
of the C-Suite say that “most” or “all” of the CEO role
should be replaced by AI. Specifically for CEOs, among
the over 500 surveyed, nearly half (49%) believe “most”
EXECUTIVES SAY AT
or “all” of their role should be completely automated or LEAST “A LITTLE” OF
replaced by AI. THEIR JOB COULD BE
AUTOMATED BY AI

edX | Workplace Intelligence 7

 What executives undoubtedly recognize is that AI can they could support data-driven decision-making.
boost their effectiveness and free up their time for more In fact, 92% of the C-Suite feel it’s important to improve
important business activities. Beyond handling simple their AI skills within the next 1–2 years, and the same
tasks like preparing executive communications, AI percentage are already using AI for their role. But while
could also come up with ideas for new markets, most executives feel optimistic about how AI will impact
products, or business models. These technologies them, some feel overwhelmed by the pace of change.
could also assist with planning and forecasting, and

EXECUTIVES ARE EMBRACING AI,

BUT MANY FEEL PRESSURED TO MOVE QUICKLY

91%
WOULD LIKE AI
81%
FEEL THEY HAVE NO CHOICE
TO SUPPORT THEM BUT TO LEARN HOW TO USE AI

81% 79%
ARE EXCITED TO LEARN AI SKILLS FEAR THAT IF THEY DON’T LEARN AI
AND APPLY THEM TO THEIR JOB SKILLS, THEY’LL BE UNPREPARED
FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK

75% 57%
HOPE MANY ASPECTS OF THEIR ARE OVERWHELMED ABOUT HAVING
JOB COULD BE AUGMENTED BY AI TO INTEGRATE AI WITHIN THEIR ROLE

65% 51%
WOULD LIKE AI TO TAKE OVER FEEL THREATENED BY AI
SOME OF THEIR JOB TASKS, EVEN
IF IT MEANT LOWER PAY

edX | Workplace Intelligence 8

 COULD AI SPELL THE END OF
ENTRY-LEVEL KNOWLEDGE WORK?

In addition to exploring the C-Suite’s perceptions

around AI, the survey also examined how AI will impact
entry-level knowledge workers. These roles have the
potential to be affected considerably more than other
HOW ENTRY-LEVEL
job types, since many entry-level tasks can easily be
KNOWLEDGE WORKERS
handled by AI tools.
SHOULD ADAPT:
Over 8 out of 10 executives believe the nature of these
jobs will completely shift. Within their own organizations,
86% say AI will affect entry-level knowledge worker
roles in at least one way. Not only will the C-Suite expect
these workers to use AI (48%), but executives say there
will be higher performance expectations (52%) and the Learn how to use AI,
especially prompt engineering
pay and competition for these roles will increase (41%).

Perhaps most notably, executives estimate that within

the next 5 years, their organization will eliminate
over half (56%) of entry-level knowledge worker roles
because of AI. What’s more, 79% of the C-Suite predict
that entry-level knowledge worker jobs will no longer
exist as AI creates an entirely new suite of roles for Develop other skills that will help
advance your career, including
employees entering the workforce.
communication and interpersonal skills,
leadership skills, and technology skills
Executives also expressed concerns that because of
their over-reliance on AI, these workers won’t develop
key skills for their profession (85%) or they may
struggle to advance their careers (77%). Their advice for
employees is to be proactive about learning AI skills as
well as other key skills for their role.

For example, 60% of the C-Suite believe entry-level Get hands-on experience
in your profession
knowledge workers will need to master the use of AI,
especially prompt engineering. However, 66% feel
managers should ensure these team members know
what skills to develop beyond AI to advance their
careers. Executives also feel these workers should
focus on getting the hands-on experience they need to
become experts in their profession.

edX | Workplace Intelligence 9

 AI SKILLS CAN OFFER A
SIGNIFICANT CAREER ADVANTAGE
82% of the C-Suite say if employees get their work
done, it shouldn’t matter if they use AI to do their job.
EXECUTIVES SAY Executives also acknowledge that doing so could give
EMPLOYEES WITH AI workers a significant boost in their careers, with 92%
SKILLS SHOULD BE agreeing that employees who know how to use AI
GIVEN PREFERENTIAL have an advantage at work. What’s more, 83% of the

TREATMENT C-Suite believe workers who are skilled at using AI

should be paid more, and 74% feel they should be
promoted more often.

83%
OF EXECUTIVES SAY EMPLOYEES
WHO KNOW HOW TO USE AI
SHOULD BE PAID MORE

74%
FEEL THAT EMPLOYEES WHO KNOW
HOW TO USE AI SHOULD BE
PROMOTED MORE OFTEN

Part of the reason for these perceptions could be due to the potential productivity gains AI can offer.
because most executives (87%) believe employees Executives also admit that knowing how to use AI
who know how to use AI should be held to a higher will help them achieve their own career goals. For
performance standard (e.g., they should be expected example, 73% think executives who know how to use
to create better quality work or a greater number AI are more likely to be promoted to CEO, and 85%
of outputs). In fact, 88% of the C-Suite say they’re believe the next CEO at their company will have AI
adjusting their company’s performance expectations experience/knowledge.

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 In addition, the survey revealed that some employees — particularly
Gen Z — are secretly using AI to get ahead or generate additional income,
or they’d consider using AI in these ways:
62% GEN Z

62% GEN Z
50% ALL EMPLOYEES
SECRETLY LEARNING AI SKILLS SECRETLY USING AI TO COMPLETE
TO GET AN ADVANTAGE OVER SOME
50% OF THEIR JOB TASKS ALL
AND EMPLOYEES
THEIR COLLEAGUES CLAIMING THIS WORK AS THEIR OWN
55% GEN Z 62% GEN Z

62% GEN Z 55%

50%
GEN Z
ALL EMPLOYEES
29% ALL EMPLOYEES

50% ALL EMPLOYEES 29% ALL EMPLOYEES

61% GEN Z 55% GEN Z

55% GEN Z 61%

29%
GEN Z
USING
46% AI TO DO PART-TIME ALL
WORKEMPLOYEES USING AI TO WORK MULTIPLE
ALL EMPLOYEES

FOR ANOTHER COMPANY FULL-TIME JOBS

29% ALL EMPLOYEES 46% ALL EMPLOYEES

57% GEN Z 61% GEN Z

61% GEN Z 57% GEN Z

45% ALL EMPLOYEES 46% ALL EMPLOYEES

46% ALL EMPLOYEES 45% ALL EMPLOYEES

57% GEN Z

57% GEN Z
45% ALL EMPLOYEES

45% ALL EMPLOYEES

Surprisingly, most C-Suite respondents say they don’t

mind if their team members use AI to do work for
another company. A remarkable 80% of executives
feel if employees get their work done, it shouldn’t
matter if they use AI to work multiple jobs.

8 OUT OF 10
EXECUTIVES THINK EMPLOYEES
SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO USE AI
TO WORK MULTIPLE JOBS

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 EXECUTIVES AND EMPLOYEES ARE
MOVING QUICKLY TO ADAPT, BUT
WORKPLACE LEARNING PROGRAMS
AREN’T KEEPING UP
Of all executives surveyed, 76% say they’re adapting work. However, only 24% are using their company’s
their business strategy as a result of AI. Among learning & development programs to learn AI skills, and
employees, 58% report that they’re taking steps to 21% say they’re learning AI skills on their own because
adapt to AI, including using AI on their own time or at their company doesn’t offer the right training.

HOW EXECUTIVES AND EMPLOYEES ARE PREPARING FOR AI

76% 58%
OF THE C-SUITE SURVEYED ARE OF EMPLOYEES SURVEYED ARE
ADAPTING THEIR BUSINESS STRATEGY: TAKING STEPS TO ADAPT TO AI:

41% have increased their training budgets for AI 26% are using AI on their own time for
personal tasks
39% are requiring their workforce to learn AI skills
24% are using their company’s learning &
39% are integrating AI within existing job roles development programs to learn AI skills

37% are hiring new talent with AI skills 21% are openly using AI at work to improve
their performance
31% have created a Chief AI Officer role
(or are planning to do so) 21% are learning AI skills on their own because
their company doesn’t offer the right training
27% are discussing eventually eliminating
entry-level roles that can be automated

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 Strikingly, both workers and executives lack AI skills. Nearly three-quarters of executives (72%)
confidence in their company’s learning & believe their company should increase its investment in
development programs. learning & development programs focused on AI over
the next 1–2 years.
Within the last 12 months, 57% of employees and 89%
of the C-Suite say they sought out learning content This is promising, especially since 84% of employees
(e.g., courses, training, conferences, webinars) outside say they expect their employer to provide the training
of their company’s offerings — and many paid out-of- and education they need to stay up-to-date with their
pocket for these programs. skillset. In fact, 81% of workers and 93% of the C-Suite
agree that “companies are the new post-secondary
Workers are so dissatisfied that an alarming 39% colleges” — meaning, employers have become
say it’s likely they’ll leave their company within responsible for continuing employees’ education.
the next year for a job that offers better learning
& development opportunities. Among Gen Z and For executives, the business benefits of improving
Millennials, that number rises to 51%. their educational offerings are clear. Not only will this
help future-proof their workforce, but it can also boost
Fortunately, the C-Suite agrees their organizations retention, since 77% of employees say they’d be more
could be doing more to support employee learning — likely to stay with their company in the long run if it
including helping their team members improve their offered a better learning & development program.

NEARLY

4 OUT OF 10
EMPLOYEES SAY IT’S LIKELY
THEY’LL LEAVE THEIR COMPANY
FOR A JOB WITH BETTER LEARNING
& DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

edX | Workplace Intelligence 13

 IS YOUR About edX

WORKFORCE edX is the global online learning platform that

fuels the world’s ambition. edX was developed in

READY FOR 2012 by Harvard and MIT to make the world’s best
education available to everyone. Today, as a part

THE AGE OF AI? of 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), edX connects over 78
million people with online learning to meet every
professional moment.
There’s a pressing need for the C-Suite to integrate
AI within all levels of the organization — including in edX For Business is 2U’s comprehensive upskilling
their own roles. In fact, employees and executives and reskilling solution, chosen and trusted by
alike agree they need to become more proficient enterprises across the globe. Designed to engage
with AI, they recognize that knowing how to use AI every level of an organization, it offers an expansive
will give them a significant career boost, and they’re portfolio of outcomes-based online learning
eager to develop these skills as soon as possible. programs taught by top universities and industry
leaders, including curated academies in artificial
For executives, the choice is clear: Either equip intelligence, supply chain management, data
employees with the right skillsets, or they will leave analytics, sustainability, and leadership. Find out
or no longer be useful to your business. And while why employees of more than 60% of the Fortune
there are many steps leaders should take to prepare 500 are learning with edX at edX.org/enterprise.
their workforce for AI, offering an outcomes-based
learning & development program should be a central
part of the long-term strategy.

Methodology
Research findings are based on a survey
About Workplace Intelligence
conducted by edX and Workplace Intelligence
between July 10 and July 24, 2023. In total, 1,600
Workplace Intelligence is an award-winning
full-time, U.S.-based employees completed the
thought leadership and research agency
survey, including 800 C-Suite executives and 800
focused on the world of work. We help
knowledge workers. Respondents were invited to
companies, and their executives, tell their
take part in the survey via email and were provided
workplace story in a meaningful, relevant,
with a small monetary incentive for doing so.
and impactful way using primary data,
insights, and interviews. For more information
go to our website (workplaceintelligence.com)
and subscribe to our Insider newsletter
(workplaceintelligence.com/newsletter).

edX | Workplace Intelligence 14

To learn more about how we can help you future-proof
your team, contact enterprise@edx.org