Philippine E-Journals

AI in the workplace: 4IR and Degrees of sentiments towards AI in the Academe Industry

Francisco  Sanchez

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Digital transformation was imminent during the pandemic years which started in 2020, the Fourth industrial revolution was evident during the said years because restrictions to mobility to curb the transmission of COVID-19 necessitated digital transformations in the economic and political spheres. However, economic, and political aspects were not the only institutions affected by the pandemic but also the educational institutions. In this paper, the researcher explores the development of the fourth industrial revolution by peering through the AI-enabled tools and technologies and its effect towards the academe industry. Using mixed method analysis, the researcher will use archival case-study design in gathering studies about sentiments and attitudes of AI in workplace in the global, regional, and national setting using thematical analysis the researcher will explore recurring themes about AI in workplace, this will then be studies at parallel with descriptive quantitative method using a four-point Likert scale focused in the academe industry, inquiring perceptions of benefits, risks, opinions about effectivity of AI, and beliefs and opinions on how AI will affect the participants’ job, profession, and institution in the future. The purpose of the study is to explore the degree of sentiments of academe practitioners in their workplace by peering through their perception towards AI use especially in the academic setting whether there has been an AI boom in the academe industry is determined in this study as perception, opinion, and cues of action towards AI use. The study shall then explore these facets in order to recommend and suggest to academe industry and institutions the need to practice and train for ethical AI-enabled tools and technologies application and use in the academic work settings. Globally, according to the study conducted by Beauchene (2013), Rao (2023), and the Boston Consulting Group (2018) which focused on diverse industries and not specifically in the academe, 60% of their global participant are curious about AI in the workplace, while 40% are concerned about AI proliferation in the workplace, and 35% are optimistic about AI in workplace (Beauchene et al., 2013:, Rao, 2023:, BCG, 2018). This study matters because first, the study is specific within the academe industry alone unlike the global survey which focused on diverse industries, and second, the proliferation of AI-enabled tools and technologies can be observed not just globally but also within the academe industry in the Philippines, with 36% of the participants are curious about it, while optimism and concern is observed with the 32% of the participants of the study, and on the level of use if AI in the workplace, 65% of the participants (n=20) said that some form of AIenabled tool or technology is already in use within their workplace.The use of AI and AI-enabled tools and technologies will continue to increase in the foreseeable future, such that the study not only yielded the number of practitioners using AI-enabled tools and technologies and their degree of sentiment with AI-use, but also the study found out that new learning strategies rose out from this phenomenon such as personalized learning and adaptive learning. The study’s objective is to explore the sentiment of AI-use within the academe industry as the effect of the 4th industrial revolution and that trainings, regulations, and pathways to responsible use of AI is needed in futureproofing the academe industry in the proliferation of AI as it is here to stay.