Quarter of people have now used or tried AI in the workplace

A new report from the Workforce Lab at Slack sets out to explore how office-based workers think about artificial intelligence and how they are using it in their jobs. The poll of 10,000 people suggests that  the adoption of AI tools in the workplace accelerated by 24 percent over the last quarter, with one in four office-based workers reporting they have tried out the tech for work as of January 2024, compared with  one in five as of September 2023. And 1 in 3 desk workers have used automation tools in their job.

Of those who have used AI and automation tools for work, around 80 percent say that this technology is already improving their productivity. The top tasks where desk workers are seeing the most value today are for writing assistance, automating workflows, and summarizing content. Summaries replaced research as a top value add in respondents’ current work since Slack’s September 2023 survey.

Many desk workers say they are enthusiastic about the technology’s potential to improve their on-the-job effectiveness, with 42 percent saying they are excited about the idea of it handling tasks from their current job. At the same time, 27 percent say that they are concerned about these tools handling common workplace tasks, and an additional 31 percent are in wait-and-see mode, saying their feelings are neutral.

On average, desk workers report spending 41 percent of their time at work on tasks that are “low value, repetitive, or lack meaningful contribution to their core job functions.” And the more time desk workers spend on low-value work, the more excitement they express for AI and automation to handle tasks from their current job.

Key findings:

• AI use in the workplace accelerated 24 percent in the past quarter, with 1 in 4 desk workers reporting they have tried the technology for work as of January 2024, compared with 1 in 5 as of September 2023.
• Around 80 percent of those using AI say that this technology is already improving their productivity. And yet, desk worker perceptions remain mixed, with 42 percent saying they’re excited for it to handle tasks from their current job, 31 percent neutral and 27 percent concerned.
• Nearly all executives feel pressure to integrate AI tools into their organisation, with half of all executives saying they feel a high degree of urgency to incorporate them.
• Desk workers at companies that have issued guidelines for how AI can be used are nearly six times more likely to have experimented with the tech, compared with desk workers whose companies have no guidelines around usage.
• Desk workers report spending 41 percent of their time on tasks that are “low value, repetitive, or lack meaningful contribution to their core job functions.” This shows a clear opportunity for AI and automation tools to help desk workers refocus their energy away from “the work of work” and toward more high-value activities.

Incorporating AI at work
A majority (81 percent) of executives feel some urgency to incorporate generative AI into their organizations, with 50 percent of leaders reporting a high degree of urgency. And yet, in the survey, close to half of all respondents (43 percent) say they’ve received no guidance from their leaders or organization on how to use the technology at work.

Lack of instruction may be preventing employees from experimenting with AI. Desk workers at companies that have defined guidelines are nearly six times more likely to have tried AI tools, compared with desk workers whose companies have no guidelines around AI usage. Even workers at companies whose usage guidelines limit the use of AI are more likely to have experimented with AI tools compared with workers at companies who have no guidelines around AI usage.

“The vast majority of people who are using AI and automation are already starting to experience productivity gains,” says Christina Janzer, the senior vice president of research and analytics at Slack and head of Slack’s Workforce Lab. “But the data indicates that failing to provide guidance or instruction on AI may be inhibiting your employees from giving it a try. If you’re looking to ready your workforce for the AI revolution, you can start by providing guidelines for how AI can be used at work.”

The executive perspective: common hopes and concerns 

The top benefits that executives are most looking forward to from integrating AI into business operations are:

• Increased efficiency and productivity of employees (38 percent)
• Data-driven decision-making (35 percent)
• Innovation of products and services (34 percent)
• Cost reductions (33 percent)
• Increased focus on strategy over rote tasks (27 percent)
• Enhanced customer experience (18 percent)

Executives’ top concerns about incorporating AI into business operations are:

• Data security and privacy (44 percent)
• AI reliability and accuracy (36 percent)
• Lack of expertise and skill gap among staff (25 percent)
• Ethical and compliance issues (17 percent)
• Customer trust and acceptance (17 percent)
• Cost of implementation and maintenance (16 percent)