3 in 4 UK hospitality workers trust AI for workplace safety

They believe AI will boost safety by preventing accidents, spotting hidden risks, and taking on dangerous tasks.

More than three-quarters (79%) of frontline hospitality workers in the UK trust AI and automation to help keep them safe at work, amidst wider concerns about potential job losses, according to SafetyCulture’s study.

When it comes to tech on the front, hospitality workers are optimistic. Many believe AI will make work safer by predicting and preventing accidents (37%), identifying risks people might miss (36%), and handling dangerous tasks in their place (33%).

Rather than feeling scared or anxious about AI and automation, hospitality workers are most likely to say they feel “curious” and “hopeful” about these new technologies in the workplace.

SafetyCulture noted that the positive findings will reassure hospitality companies looking to accelerate their AI and automation plans in future years.

Additionally, the survey also found that six times as many workers trust management to make the right choices on AI (60%) as those who don’t (11%).

Whilst potential job losses and redundancies are frontline hospitality workers’ top concern (58%), they also have concerns about machines making decisions without human oversight (41%).

The majority of frontline workers (66%) trust AI to provide insights or instructions, but not to make decisions.

Over one-third also worry about unreliable or ‘glitchy’ technology creating hazards (40%).