"If You're Very Clever, No One Knows You've Used It": The Social Dynamics of Developing Generative AI Literacy in the Workplace

TL;DR

This paper explores how social workplace dynamics influence the development of generative AI literacy among knowledge workers, highlighting challenges and proposing strategies for improvement.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into social factors affecting AI literacy development and suggests fostering open dialogue and collaborative learning in workplaces.

Findings

Knowledge sharing supports learning but can reduce transparency.

Removing cues of AI use is seen as a sign of expertise.

Behaviors around AI use can hinder knowledge sharing and transparency.

Abstract

Generative AI (GenAI) tools are rapidly transforming knowledge work, making AI literacy a critical priority for organizations. However, research on AI literacy lacks empirical insight into how knowledge workers' beliefs around GenAI literacy are shaped by the social dynamics of the workplace, and how workers learn to apply GenAI tools in these environments. To address this gap, we conducted in-depth interviews with 19 knowledge workers across multiple sectors to examine how they develop GenAI competencies in real-world professional contexts. We found that, while knowledge sharing from colleagues supported learning, the ability to remove cues indicating GenAI use was perceived as validation of domain expertise. These behaviours ultimately reduced opportunities for learning via knowledge sharing and undermined transparency. To advance workplace AI literacy, we argue for fostering open dialogue, increasing visibility of user-generated knowledge, and greater emphasis on the benefits of collaborative learning for navigating rapid technological developments.