Bosses tap bonus pools, cash awards to attract workers wary of AI

French drugmaker Sanofi, fintech Brex Inc. & International Business Machines Corp. are among firms that are paying cash, awarding points or doling out merch to expand adoption of AI across their biz

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By Jo Constantz

  Companies are betting that bonuses will persuade their employees to use artificial intelligence at work. 

French drugmaker Sanofi,  fintech Brex Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. are among firms that are paying cash, awarding points or doling out merch to expand adoption of AI across their businesses. 

After collectively investing billions of dollars into AI systems, companies are facing a human problem:  some employees are reluctant to use the technology. Many fear using AI will hasten their job’s disappearance, or lack time for training.  Others may not want to share their AI tactics, preferring to keep the advantage to themselves.UK-based law firm Shoosmiths LLP is trying bonuses. In April, it  created a £1 million ($1.3 million) bonus pool for about 1,300 of its staff, contingent on hitting 1 million uses of Microsoft Copilot this fiscal year.  Firm leaders estimated that if everyone at the firm used Copilot four times a day, they’d comfortably surpass the mark. Each eligible employee would receive about £770 ($1,000).  Shoosmiths had already held Copilot training sessions, touted successful case studies and tapped influencers from various departments to help get colleagues on board — and start getting a return on its considerable investment in the tech. Partners asked themselves what more they could do to drive adoption.  “That’s where the bonus came in,” said Tony Randle, the executive leading the initiative. 

Shoosmiths aims to build firm-wide comfort with the technology and reinforce the habit of using it before worrying about whether staff are using AI optimally.  “Once we've changed people's behaviors to realize that AI is their go-to, it's not this dangerous thing sitting in the corner, then we can be far more discriminating” in how it’s applied, Randle said, adding that the firm is on track to hit the year-end goal for Copilot assists. 

Cash also is proving to be a powerful incentive at companies trying to spur more innovative uses of AI. San Francisco-based Brex, for example, has given out more than 225 spot bonuses for AI projects, including quick automations and more in-depth workflow overhauls, Chief Operating Officer Camilla Matias Morais said. 

Payouts at Brex have ranged from $150 for smaller-scale efforts to thousands of dollars for those with high impact. One of the largest to date went to a team of engineers and operations managers who redesigned the company’s customer onboarding, shrinking it from a days-long process requiring four employees to a task that can be handled in under five minutes. 

Rewards for employees who make use of AI come in other forms, too. Winners of an annual AI innovation competition at IBM receive “BluePoints,” redeemable for items such as appliances, electronics or concert tickets. They are also invited to showcase their solutions at company events in Orlando and San Diego. 

Workhuman, which operates employee-rewards programs for a wide range of companies, has helped administer rewards for clients including Sanofi, which awards its staff points for experimenting with AI, according to Workhuman CEO Eric Mosley. The points are redeemable for merchandise and gift cards.  

“Recognition is the fuel of trust, and trust is what makes AI adoption possible and scalable,” said Raj Verma, Sanofi’s head of culture, inclusion and experience. By rewarding people “who experiment and share what they learn, we’ve built a culture that embraces AI as an opportunity, not a threat.”    

Some leaders are going a step beyond, and thinking about how to reward employees who use the technology to overhaul — or even eliminate — their own jobs. 

Amanda Kahlow, founder and CEO of 1Mind, a startup building AI agents for sales and customer-service teams, has been giving spot bonuses to staff who identify clever automation opportunities. She’s also weighing a more radical incentive: forward-vesting equity for any employee who automates themselves out of a role. 

“Then we’ll find another job for you,” she said. “I do like the idea.”