Report into Isle of Man’s 'readiness' to embrace artificial intelligence highlights increasing workplace presence

The survey looks into local attitudes towards AI

The Isle of Man’s first comprehensive survey on artificial intelligence adoption has revealed growing engagement with the technology, particularly among younger professionals and managerial staff, but highlights gaps in training, awareness, and policy development.

The report was commissioned by Manx Telecom and conducted by Island Global Research, which collected responses from 640 residents, with 328 providing detailed employment insights.

The findings offer a snapshot of AI usage across industries, employee attitudes towards the technology, and expectations for its future impact on businesses and careers.

Widespread AI usage

The report finds that 52 percent of managerial respondents report AI is currently used within their organisations, either extensively or to some extent, compared to 43 percent of all employed respondents.

Artificial intelligence is most prevalent in IT operations (50 percent), marketing and sales (46 percent), and research and development (42 percent).

However, only 26 percent of organisations have a formal AI strategy in place, and 30 percent have no AI strategy at all.

Generational divides in AI adoption

Younger professionals, aged 16-39, report the highest level of engagement with AI, with 48 percent saying it is used in their workplace.

By contract, 42 percent of 40-64-year-olds and only 34 percent of those aged 65 and above report AI adoptions in their organisation.

Management figures also appear significantly more engaged with AI, with 55 percent of managerial staff stating they use AI tools regularly, compared to 32 percent of non-managers.

AI training lags behind interest and adoption

Despite AI's increasing workplace presence, only 15 percent of respondents have received any AI-related training.

Meanwhile, 41 percent expressed interest in learning more about AI, particularly among younger employees and those in managerial positions.

Twenty-one percent of employees are uncertain about their organisation's stance on AI.

AI's impact on productivity

For those using AI in the workplace, its impact appears largely positive.

Sixty-five percent of respondents say AI has improved their productivity, with 26 percent reporting significant improvements.

Only four percent said AI had a negative impact on their work.

Similarly, 51 percent of employees use AI at least once per work, particularly in areas like automation, content generation and data processing.

Future concerns: Privacy, job security and ethics

Looking ahead, 48 percent of respondents believe AI will make them more productive, while 44 percent anticipate needing to learn new skills.

However, nine percent fear AI will replace their role, with concerns most pronounced among younger employees (13 percent in the 16-39 age bracket).

Privacy concerns remain a significant issue, with 79 percent of respondents expressing unease about AI using their personal data without consent.

Key concerns, particularly among non-managerial and older respondents emerged as job displacement (34 percent) and biases in AI decision-making (45 percent).

Barriers to AI adoption

When asked about challenges to AI integration, respondents highlighted several barriers:

• 52 percent cited a lack of skilled workers of managing AI systems.
• 56 percent expressed concerns about data privacy and security.
• 44 percent said the cost of implementing AI was a major barrier.
• 41 percent feared employee resistance to AI adoption.

Despite these concerns, 56 percent of respondents believe AI will be important to their organisation's future success.

Public opinion

While 43 percent of respondents believe AI presents equal benefits and risks, 30 percent think the risks outweigh the advantages, with those concerns highest amount older and female respondents.

In comparison, 18 percent of respondents feel AI offers more benefits than risks, particularly among younger professionals and those in management.

"Barriers to AI adoption include knowledge gaps, workforce shortages, and concerns about privacy, job displacement, and return on investment.

"Addressing these issues through education and clear communication may facilitate smoother adoption."