Microsoft Work Trend Index Finds 70% of Employees Open to Using AI to Prevent Burnout
In Brief
Microsoft Work Trend Index 2023 has revealed that 70% of employees surveyed would use AI to lighten their workloads.
Most people surveyed would use AI for analytical and creative work.
82% of leaders in the survey said employees will need new skills to work alongside AI.
Microsoft published its Work Trend Index Annual Report on Wednesday, which revealed that more employees would use AI to lighten their workloads than they are afraid of being replaced by AI.
To obtain the data points for the annual report, Microsoft surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers in 31 countries and analyzed trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, as well as labor trends from the LinkedIn Economic Graph.
Amid concerns about job loss to AI, the survey revealed an unexpected finding: Despite 49% of people worried about their job security, 70% of employees would delegate as much work as possible to AI to prevent burnout—a move that Microsoft calls an “AI-employee alliance”.
Most employees said they would be comfortable using AI for almost every aspect of their work, ranging from administrative tasks to analytical and creative work. The report also said that people believe that AI can enhance creativity when it comes to formulating ideas for work to editing their work.
“It’s fascinating that people are more excited about AI rescuing them from burnout than they are worried about it eliminating their jobs,”
author and organizational psychology professor Adam Grant said in a statement.
As one of the major players in big tech’s AI race, it comes as no surprise that Microsoft would release a survey that presents an optimistic view of AI. According to the report, business leaders are twice as likely to choose ‘increasing employee productivity’ than ‘reducing headcount’ when asked what they value most about AI in the workplace.
Leaders who participated in the survey said that they hoped AI could help employees with necessary but repetitive tasks, increase employee wellbeing, eliminate employee time spent on low-value activities, enhance employees’ capabilities, and accelerate employees’ pace of work.
It’s not clear how many leaders were surveyed, but 82% said that employees would have to build AI aptitude and acquire new skills to prepare for the paradigm shift to AI as a copilot. These skills include the ability to write great prompts, evaluate creative work, and check for bias. As of March 2023, job postings on LinkedIn mentioning GPT were up 79% year-over-year, per the report.
“We’re in the next phase of change with the introduction of generative AI, and it’s already starting to reshape the labor market,” said Karin Kimbrough, chief economist at LinkedIn. “While it’s still early days, this shift will expand opportunities, create new roles, and augment productivity.”
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About The Author
Cindy is a journalist at Metaverse Post, covering topics related to web3, NFT, metaverse and AI, with a focus on interviews with Web3 industry players. She has spoken to over 30 C-level execs and counting, bringing their valuable insights to readers. Originally from Singapore, Cindy is now based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications & Media Studies from the University of South Australia and has a decade of experience in journalism and writing. Get in touch with her via cindy@mpost.io with press pitches, announcements and interview opportunities.
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Cindy is a journalist at Metaverse Post, covering topics related to web3, NFT, metaverse and AI, with a focus on interviews with Web3 industry players. She has spoken to over 30 C-level execs and counting, bringing their valuable insights to readers. Originally from Singapore, Cindy is now based in Tbilisi, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications & Media Studies from the University of South Australia and has a decade of experience in journalism and writing. Get in touch with her via cindy@mpost.io with press pitches, announcements and interview opportunities.
