If you believe the headlines about AI, you might be fearful that it’s coming for your job, and while it is true that some companies have used the technology to replace roles, it’s perhaps much more likely that it will help ease pressure and improve work-life balance.
That’s the finding from a majority of business leaders surveyed in Tech.co’s recent annual report, who stated that the advent of AI has actually had a positive impact on their workload.
The use cases for AI in the workplace vary from writing to design tasks to customer support, but one thing is for sure, AI is deemed a net positive in easing work duties.
Leaders Agree AI is Easing Work-Life Burden
In our most recent annual Tech.co report, ‘The Impact of Technology on the Work Place’, we found that for the majority of senior leaders we surveyed, three out of five agreed that the advent of AI tools was having a net positive impact on their work-life balance.
In fact, while 33% of respondents stated that the technology had had no effect on them, only a very small proportion, 5%, reported that it had slightly or significantly worsened their work-life balance. The rest, 61%, stated that AI had slightly or significantly improved their work-life balance.
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With AI technology being sold as a timesaver, it’s perhaps no shock that it has the ability to improve working conditions for many, relieving pressure, increasing productivity, and ultimately reducing stress. It also means that day to day tasks can be handled by AI, allowing leaders to focus more on wider-reaching strategy and future planning.
How are Companies Using AI?
When it comes to the ways in which companies are utilizing AI, our survey of over 1,036 business leaders found the following:
- 43% are using AI for writing tasks (emails, reports, presentations etc)
- 37% are using AI for data analysis
- 33% are using AI for customer support/chatbots
- 25% are using AI for design tasks (images, graphics etc)
What’s more, AI usage in these areas has increased across the board compared to our previous year’s annual report. For example, 26% of leaders surveyed in 2023 stated they were using AI for writing tasks, compared to 43% in 2024.
This increase in AI adoption makes sense, as companies adopt the new technology, spurred on by the ability to be more productive, and fear that their competitors may overtake them by utilizing AI more efficiently. In fact, our survey revealed that the main reason for AI adoption was down to pressure from competitors, with 58% of respondents stating a fear that it they don’t adapt to AI, they will be left behind.
Which AI Tools are Companies Using?
It’s perhaps no surprise that of the companies we surveyed, the most popular tool by far was OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Given the inescapable amount of media attention Sam Altman’s AI chatbot has had over the past couple of years, this shouldn’t be shocking. However, usage has increased since our last report, by 8%, with 73% of companies reporting using it last year, compared to 65% in 2023.
Closing in in second place though, is Microsoft Copilot, which has shot up in popularity from 21% in our 2023 survey, to 59% adoption in 2024. Microsoft has been steadily adding the tech to a number of its products, making Copilot somewhat ubiquitous to anyone who uses Microsoft products.
Google’s Gemini (formerly Google Bard) has slipped since 2023, where 48% of companies reported using it. In 2024, that’s reduced to 36%. It goes to show that even a tech giant like Google can’t guarantee a win in fast-evolving sector like AI.
