Opening the curtain of AI business integration

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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**Meghan McCarty Carino** (0:34)
Not really on the same page about AI. From American Public Media, this is Marketplace Tech. I'm Meghan McCarty Carino.
Businesses, as you may have noticed, are pretty hot on this whole AI thing. But there's a big divide between employees, their managers, and expectations from executives. That's according to recent survey data from market research firm YouGov and job site Indeed, where Priya Rathod is a workplace trends editor.

**Priya Rathod** (1:11)
We found a three-way mismatch when it comes to the rise of AI at work. So on one side, you have employers, and they're recruiting for specific skills, and they have very high expectations of those skills.
Then we have the workforce, and they don't think they have those AI skills yet. And then we have managers within organizations, and they're not sure they're ready to lead the people who have these skills. So the demand clearly exists, but right now, the other parts of the equation, they're not really adding up so well. They're still catching up.

**Meghan McCarty Carino** (1:46)
So you found that employers are looking for what you're calling AI natives. What does that actually mean in practice? Because I don't think many of us are, grew up with this technology at this point. So what does an AI native look like in the workplace?

**Priya Rathod** (2:00)
For us, when we looked at this particular study, we defined AI natives based on their behavior, not simply their demographic data. So an AI native is someone who's, they're highly skilled and comfortable with AI technologies, and they fundamentally default to AI to design, execute and scale their workflows from beginning to end.

**Meghan McCarty Carino** (2:26)
So you described all of these sort of AI native skills that employers are looking for. How confident are workers feeling about those?

**Priya Rathod** (2:35)
Expectations often run ahead of reality.
And so what we're seeing is there's a lot of excitement about how AI can transform businesses, but workers are moving a little slower right now. The majority of them are experimenting with AI at work. But employers really have a role here that they need to fulfill as well. They need to make sure that they are implementing AI within specific departments, that they're training their workforce in how to get up to speed, and that they have really definitive milestones and training programs to help these employees out.

**Meghan McCarty Carino** (3:14)
We'll be right back.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:17)
Okay, let's get real about health care for a second. I think we can all agree it doesn't always work the way it should. If you've ever waited on a prescription refill or had a hard time getting the care you needed, you know what I mean. The system should just work better for everyone. That's exactly what the people at Optum are trying to do every day. They're a health care company linking patient care and pharmacy services and using data and technology to drive the whole system. So care is connected, not complicated. For patients and providers.
Things like making it easier to get care that looks at the whole person. From primary care doctors to mental health support and even in-home care. And then using technology to make sure they all work together. Technology designed to help doctors spend less time on busy work and more time with their patients. And those prescriptions? Optum is bringing costs down, saving patients money, and making it easier to get refills. Little by little, Optum is helping make health care work as one for everyone. Head to business.optum.com to see how.

**SPEAKER_5** (4:18)
This podcast is supported by Raymond James, a financial firm offering wealth management, banking, and capital market services that are inspired by people. Before Raymond James financial advisors build plans, they build relationships so they can craft individual strategies designed to achieve priorities and pursue what's possible. That's the power of personal. Disclosures at raymondjames.com.
Raymond James and Associates Inc., member NYSE, SIPIC.

**Meghan McCarty Carino** (4:48)
You're listening to Marketplace Tech. I'm Meghan McCarty Carino. We're back with Priya Rathod at Indeed.
You also found that some workers maybe have reservations about AI that may be preventing them from sort of going all in on it, just concerns about reliability and how it will actually work for them in their jobs, right?