AI is transforming workplace productivity: Freshworks report
The workplace AI report points to productivity gains for companies and career growth for knowledge workers
If you think you or your team are the only ones experimenting with AI in the workplace, think again. AI has become an integral part of many business operations, often at work behind the scenes in ways that people might not immediately recognize.
According to a new global study released by Freshworks, AI is proving to be a valuable tool for knowledge workers, with 55% of surveyed employees using AI-enhanced applications at work. What’s more, 72% trust AI to bring value to their work processes—and 81% of employees trust AI because they believe its quality of work is good or it makes their team more productive.
Here are three key takeaways from the global survey of 7,000+ full-time employees:
AI is delivering massive productivity gains: Employees estimate that AI is already cutting their workloads by three hours and 47 minutes in a typical workweek by helping them complete tasks such as summarizing reports, suggesting next steps, and handling repetitive tasks. By freeing up nearly 24 business days of work per year, employees can take on higher-value work.
IT departments lead in AI adoption, but others are catching up: AI adoption is growing beyond IT departments, with marketing, HR, and finance increasingly utilizing AI tools. IT leads with 85% weekly usage, followed by marketing at 80% and HR at 69%. The legal department, with 45% usage, is in last place—understandable, given their risk-management profile. And when it comes to teams using generative AI tools like ChatGPT, marketing teams use it the most (41%), followed closely by IT (39%).
Workers are looking to leverage AI for career growth: According to the Freshworks report, workers are balancing concerns such as job replacement, AI regulation, and ethics with the recognition that there’s a critical need for AI—in their organizations as well as their careers. More than two in three workers (70%) say they’re looking for ways to develop their AI skill set to stay as marketable as possible. Also, more than a third (37%) say their companies are adopting AI for fear of missing out on the next big thing or because of competitive pressure.
For more details and insights on how AI is being used in the workplace, download the free report: “Workplace AI: The race to embrace.”
