Managers are eager to push AI tools in the workplace—but many of their employees are wary, according to a recent survey by Slack.

The latest edition of Slack’s annual Workforce Index found 96% of executives feel “an urgency to incorporate AI into business operations,” with the percentage who plan to do so in the next 18 months rising from 5% in September 2023 to 35% in March 2024.

Still, 32% of desk workers report having used AI tools for work, and 93% said they didn’t feel like they could fully trust AI to take over work-related tasks. Just 27% said they were “completely” or “very” confident in the trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs, while 39% reported moderate confidence. Another 35% of respondents said they found AI outputs to be only slightly or not at all trustworthy.

The two biggest factors blocking AI adoption are “a lack of trust and then a lack of training,” Christina Janzer, SVP of research and analytics at Slack, told IT Brew. The survey found almost 40% of desk workers said their company has no AI policy, while only 15% strongly agreed that they had the education and training required to use AI effectively.

“There’s all this hype around it, but people aren’t being enabled by their leaders and employers to actually be able to use it,” Janzer said.

Read more here.—TM

Do you work in IT or have information about your IT department you want to share? Email [email protected]. Want to go encrypted? Ask Tom for his Signal.

When it comes to the everyday impact of AI, process orchestration has a lot to gain. Learn what benefits it can bring in Camunda’s guide Transforming Process Orchestration with Artificial Intelligence.

You’ll find insights about the opportunities, benefits, and best practices of incorporating AI into your process orchestration. Here’s a preview of what you’ll learn:

• how to develop an AI automation strategy
• the future of AI in process orchestration
• benefits and potential risks of AI

While you’re flipping through, if you start to think, We’re gonna need some help with this, don’t worry. The guide includes an outline of how Camunda supports organizations with AI implementation in various industries.

See how your org can pair AI and process orchestration to minimize risks and maximize customer satisfaction.

Download the guide.

Tech’s taking this itty-bitty world by storm.

Employment in the sector continued to surge in May after a dip earlier in the year, as job listings reached their highest point since June 2023. A CompTIA analysis of the numbers found that tech unemployment dropped to 2.5% from last month’s 2.8%. The national average was 4%.

Tim Herbert, CompTIA’s chief research officer, said in a statement accompanying the organization’s analysis that the tech jobs numbers showed a more positive picture for the job market.

“The jump in tech job postings is an encouraging indicator more employers are coming off the sidelines,” Herbert said.

Robot revving. Total tech jobs dropped by 42,000 in May, a number somewhat offset by a 27,000 increase in listings. Overall, there were nearly 427,000 total tech job listings for the month.

Read more here.—EH

Do you work in IT or have information about your IT department you want to share? Email [email protected].

A seasoned IT practitioner may think they’re savvy enough to spot the difference between legitimate networking gear and some hunk of metal with a sticker loosely stuck on it that says “Sisco,” but counterfeit devices have found their way into everyday IT systems—even aircraft.

On May 2, 2024, the US Department of Justice sentenced a Florida resident and dual citizen of the United States and Turkey to six-plus years in prison for trafficking “fraudulent and counterfeit” Cisco networking equipment.

The sentenced man, Onur Aksoy, “sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of counterfeit computer networking equipment that ended up in US hospitals, schools, and highly sensitive military and other governmental systems, including platforms supporting sophisticated US fighter jets and military aircraft,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in a May 2 statement.

The announcement also provided an opportunity for IT pros to remind other IT pros: Vet your supplier.

Keep reading here.—BH

Do you work in IT or have information about your IT department you want to share? Email [email protected].

Protect your Microsoft 365 data. Let’s face it: Finding the time, money, + expertise to run a backup solution is challenging. In Veeam’s e-book, you’ll learn why cloud-based services are changing the game—and why they work well for Microsoft 365 users. Dig into how cloud models can simplify your data protection strategy. Read on.

The Playbook is here to help you build your real estate investing game plan. Each newsletter issue is designed to keep you up to date on everything you need to know to be the smartest real estate investor you can be. Subscribe now.