While those working within tech are well-versed in the possibilities of AI at this point, the reality is that many organizations aren’t realizing the true potential of AI by incorporating it into the workplace.
That’s according to the most recent Slack Workforce Index which established that office workers are spending 41% of their time on tasks that are “low value, repetitive or lack meaningful contribution to their core job functions.”
Conversely, the vast majority (81%) of those who have adopted AI tools to automate certain tasks have experienced an increase in productivity.
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So, why the disconnect? One of the biggest barriers to the widespread adoption of AI is leaders taking a “wait and see” approach, says Aytekin Tank, CEO and founder of Jotform, an online form builder.
“Unsure of the extent to which AI will transform the workplace, some leaders are hesitant to shift their approach toward AI,” he offers. “You might remember when Snapchat first took social media by storm. Some businesses waited to see whether it was sticky enough. Ultimately, we discovered that the answer was ‘yes’, but with respect to a specific demographic.
“AI, however, isn’t just a social media platform, and it’s not just impacting a limited demographic. It’s overhauling how work is done and requires more than just training sessions. It requires adopting a ‘systems thinking’ way of looking at your daily tasks. Within organizations, that kind of fundamental shift must come from the top-down.”
Don’t get left behind
For workers who fear they are being left behind and worry their current skillset will soon become obsolete because their current employer isn’t investing in the future (or their future), there are several courses of action to take.
For starters, why not do your own research and present your findings to your line manager or HR department about how adopting some simple AI tools can increase productivity and output?
Next, investigate ways you can upskill in your own time. There are several ways to start implementing AI productivity tools into your everyday work. For example, Otter.ai allows you to transcribe meetings in real time, ideal for sifting through your notes and picking out the action points that need to be addressed afterwards.
Similarly, Grammarly and Jasper AI are writing assistants that can help you write more efficient emails, or compile more succinct presentations, internal memos or marketing collateral.
Or if your role involves project management, why not give Notion a try. It can autofill databases, summarize documents and even assign tasks based on the data that has been entered.
Tank adds: “Employees will need to build some slack into their schedules. But once employees set their automation machines in motion, automating more and more of their daily tasks, they’ll recapture time for more meaningful tasks. And as I’ve seen with our employees at Jotform, when employees aren’t drowning in busywork, they have more time and mental space for creative work.”
Tank’s advice correlates with research conducted by GitHub which found that developers who started using its AI Copilot tools were able to complete tasks 55% faster.
The vast majority (88%) felt they were more productive, 96% said they were faster and therefore could get through more work, 59% found coding less frustrating, 87% found repetitive tasks less mentally taxing, and crucially, 74% had more time to focus on more rewarding tasks.
However, if you feel as though your AI upskilling endeavors are falling on deaf ears and your current employer isn’t receptive to change, it could be time to start reevaluating your employment options–the World Economic Forum predicts that automation could disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies as soon as 2025.
Additionally, executives interviewed by the IBM Institute for Business Value estimate that 40% of their workforce will need to reskill over the next 3 years to stay relevant.
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