What Americans Would Want In An AI Boss

Imagine you show up late to work and must explain yourself to . . . a robot. It might sound Orwellian, but the reality of AI bosses could be closer than you think. A new survey by Fullstack Academy asks Americans how ready they are for this theoretical future and what they would want in an AI boss.

The results? A mix of curiosity and fear, as you would expect, but more importantly, employees show an openness driven not by excitement for AI but rather dissatisfaction with human leadership.

As AI job automation advances, many people see it as a threat to their own jobs. However, the survey shows workers are more open to the idea of having an AI boss. This isn’t about enthusiasm for robots; rather, it’s about frustration with human bosses. Americans are eager for a leader who can eliminate biases and personal flaws they encounter with their human supervisors. The desire for an AI boss stems largely from a hope that a machine could fix what human bosses get wrong.

However, are Americans wearing rose-tinted glasses when gazing into the future of AI management? Read on to find out the biggest flaws Americans see in human leadership, the shortcomings they think an AI boss could fix, and what the ideal AI boss would look like for most Americans.

Key Takeaways

• 65% of workers are open to the idea of an AI boss.

• 65% of workers think favoritism is the main human boss flaw that AI bosses could fix.

• 60% are open to an AI boss tracking everything they do if it means higher pay.

• 41% want their AI boss to have a voice, face, and IRL body, while 26% just want a voice.

• Barack Obama, Morgan Freeman, and Ryan Reynolds top the list of celebrities and public figures Americans would choose as avatars for their AI boss.

The Inherent Flaws of a Human Boss

If Americans are to be led by a robot, AI will need to outperform human bosses in a way that really adds value for a company. To understand how AI might achieve a leadership takeover, we asked American workers about their experiences with human bosses to identify the weaknesses where an AI boss could potentially outperform human leadership.

For starters, when it comes to human bosses, there’s one thing 99% of workers surveyed agree on: Even the best bosses make mistakes and can have biases. Human bosses are human, after all. Yet, what specific flaws inform this sentiment?

Personality unrelated to work is one of the main areas in which human bosses exhibit shortcomings. It’s the #1 reason that workers feel a human boss has treated them favorably or unfavorably. A full 51% of surveyed workers say they have been treated favorably by their boss because of their personality, such as charm or humor. Another 34% report their personality has led to unfavorable treatment by their human bosses.

A worker's personality can also directly lead to favoritism. According to our survey, 41% of American workers have benefited from favoritism in the workplace. While favoritism does not have to be zero-sum, it often is. Our results found that 39% of workers have suffered from favoritism their bosses have exhibited.

Bosses playing favorites can have a cascading effect as well, leading to things like easier performance reviews. A full 34% of American workers have benefitted from their bosses going easier on them in performance reviews.

It doesn’t end there—63% of workers believe that promotions and raises by human bosses can be unfair or biased. Workers think human bosses are also guilty of inconsistent expectations, unclear communication, and lack of availability. While any human can exhibit these tendencies, they paint a clear picture of the inherent weaknesses in human leadership. These flaws could be ripe foundational opportunities for an AI boss to exploit, showing why some workers might be eager for a change in leadership.

Can AI Fix What Human Bosses Get Wrong?

Now that we’ve explored the troubles people have being managed by humans, the question is, could a robot do it better, and would Americans want that? It turns out that a full 65% of Americans are willing to try being led by an AI boss despite skepticism. When we dig deeper into the reasons why, we find that performance is a major reason.

A whopping 78% of workers would consider an AI boss if it were guaranteed to enhance their professional performance. In tandem with that finding, 77% said they would embrace an AI boss if it resulted in unlimited time and availability to answer their questions and requests instantly. This makes even more sense when considering that 61% of workers have suffered from unclear communication, and 27% suffered from a lack of availability from their human bosses.

When it comes to the #1 flaw in human leadership—favoritism—65% of workers surveyed believe that AI would solve that problem. This is despite the fact that generative AI systems, as they currently exist, can also exhibit biases and stereotypes. Large language models (LLMs) are trained on content written by humans, making the total elimination of these flaws a challenge, thwarting the potential for an AI boss to correct this managerial oversight.

The tendency for many Americans to believe or wish AI boss systems do not contain the same flaws as their human counterparts is repeated throughout the study. For instance, 40% of workers surveyed think AI bosses will fix performance review errors. The possibility of this is currently questionable as one of the most popular generative AI systems, ChatGPT, can give wrong answers as much as 52% of the time.

Even with these problems in AI right now, many workers hold optimistic opinions about the human boss errors they think AI could fix. A total of 44% of workers surveyed think an AI boss would have more consistent expectations, and 29% think a cold, calculating robot could handle employee conflicts more efficiently. Perhaps most surprising of all, a full 23% believe a robot would inspire more motivation than their human counterparts.

While these potential benefits may sway some, incentives, particularly in the form of money, would sway even more. A surprising 60% of workers surveyed said they would let an AI boss track every single thing they do during working hours if it resulted in higher pay. How much higher pay? The average American worker would happily accept an average 34% boost to their income to let a bot boss watch everything they do.

However, only some people are completely sold on the idea of an AI boss. While the majority is skeptical but open to it, only 10% are completely ready to embrace the change and welcome their new robotic overlords. Of these ready-to-go workers, 63% said they want an AI boss because they expect fairer treatment. Newness also plays a role, with 55% saying they want an AI boss for its novelty.

Even more, a shocking 53% say they want an AI boss because they trust the technology more than a human boss, and an equal number of respondents also said they expect better rapport with an emotionally unavailable robot.

Can AI live up to the optimistic expectations of many American workers by eliminating favoritism, providing 24/7 instant availability, providing clearer communication, and more consistent expectations? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, we can start imagining what a potential future AI boss might look like.

Designing the Perfect AI Boss Americans Want

If you were going to work for an AI boss in the future, what would you want that to look like? According to our survey, Americans have particular thoughts about that. The ideal American bot boss doesn’t just spit out text on a screen—it needs a face, voice, and, for many, even a body.

A whopping 62% of surveyed workers said having a digital face is somewhat or very important. A surprising 63% said the same about their bot boss having an in-real-life (IRL) physical body manifestation. In total, 41% want their AI boss to have all three elements—a voice, face, and body. Only 26% surveyed said they would be content with just a voice.

In regards to the digital face or avatar that Americans would want their AI boss to have, 48% would opt for a realistic human look. Apparently, many would like to keep the human design but ditch the human function. Another 28% would opt for a stylized game-like avatar as their boss. That would give a whole new meaning to the phrase “boss battle.”

The fun really begins when we look at the celebrity and public figure personas that Americans would choose to have replicated as their AI boss (Survey respondents wrote in their selections). At the top, Americans say, “Yes, we can,” with former President Barack Obama as their boss persona of choice for those surveyed. Perhaps he would inspire that motivational hope that 32% of Americans find lacking in their current human bosses.

Close behind is the cool, even-tempered persona of Morgan Freeman, and Americans may be onto something here. Imagine having the “voice of God” (from Bruce Almighty) asking you to get that report done by next week. Your work might feel more meaningful if it seemed like it was brought about through divine intervention.

Ryan Reynolds takes third place for the personas that Americans would most want bossing them around. Maybe they’re picturing an irreverent leader who never takes anything too seriously, but either way, his natural charisma likely plays a large role.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the barrel, Americans place Eminem, Joe Biden, and John Cena among the least-desirable public personas they would want to be replicated as their AI boss.

Seizing Opportunities in an AI-Driven Workplace

The potential for humans to be led by an AI manager is currently a fantasy, but the rise of AI in the workplace is very much happening now. Regardless of your excitement or trepidation, there’s one thing that’s clear: professionals who understand how AI works will remain in high demand. Fullstack Academy’s data analytics or AI & machine learning bootcamps are designed to give you the skills and tools you need to compete in today’s tech workforce and beyond.

Plus, whether or not AI leads teams of people in the future, real human talent is needed to create, maintain, and optimize AI and other technology for a range of exciting purposes now. Fullstack Academy is here to help you ride the waves of technological development and make the most of new opportunities. If you’re interested in becoming someone who shapes the future use of AI, or just want to power your own future through tech, we'll help you find the right tech bootcamp for your career goals.

Methodology

The survey, conducted on August 14, 2024, encompassed a representative sample of 1,261 American adults aged 18 to 65. The primary objective was to rigorously evaluate the national sentiment regarding the hypothetical prospect of working under the supervision of an AI-powered boss, manager, or supervisor. To ensure a comprehensive understanding, we structured the survey in several stages:

Human Boss Experiences

Initially, respondents were prompted to reflect on their experiences with human bosses, specifically identifying perceived shortcomings or flaws that have negatively impacted their professional development or day-to-day work environment. This section allowed for an exploration of both the tangible and intangible ways in which managerial deficiencies have influenced individuals.

AI Boss Prospect

Participants were asked to consider and express their attitudes toward the concept of replacing their human supervisor with an AI-driven alternative. This portion of the survey paid particular attention to the emotional and rational factors that contribute to the level of American openness or resistance to AI leadership. Subsequently, respondents were invited to report on specific human limitations they believe could be effectively mitigated by AI technology in a managerial role. They were also asked to elaborate on the potential advantages that an AI boss could offer, exploring the hypothetical benefits of machine-driven oversight in contrast to human leadership.

AI Persona

In the final stage of the survey, participants were asked to engage in a more creative exercise, selecting a famous public figure or persona whom they would prefer as the avatar or embodiment of an AI boss. This question was designed to capture the cultural and symbolic resonance of various public figures in the context of AI-driven leadership.