Factors Influencing Employees Trust in AI & its Adoption at Work: Evidence from United Arab Emirates

Abstract

UAE“s aspiration to be among the leading countries in artificial intelligence by 2031 calls for the identification of facilitators championing the adoption of this advanced technology in enterprises and government bodies across the country. The workforce is a major facilitator or barrier in new technology adoption at work. We need to determine if their trust in the new technology-with the competitive advantage of intelligence- influence their willingness to adopt them at work. This study investigates the impact of individual level (generation, gender, education, knowledge, skills) and organizational level (ownership type, business type) factors on employees' trust in artificial intelligence and its adoption at work. Six hundred and thirty- eight employees from both public and private sectors participated in the survey from the Emirates of Abu Dhabi. The findings confirmed significant influence of employees' generation, knowledge, and skills on their trust in Artificial Intelligence technology, subsequently influencing their intention to adopt the advanced technology at their respective workplaces. The findings have implications for government bodies formulating and implementing UAE's AI strategy in the region as well as for industry practitioners.