Artificial intelligence can increase work efficiency

BENGALURU: Rather than automating work, artificial intelligence (AI) is showing how it is boosting the productivity of knowledge workers across core business functions. A new report by Freshworks, titled Global AI Workplace Report, reveals how AI is enabling new capabilities for knowledge workers; over half (55%) of the workers surveyed said they are currently using AI-enhanced software applications at work. The report says that AI is no longer an experimental pilot tool, but rather an active driver of significant efficiency and productivity gains across operations and industries.

While IT leads all departments in AI adoption, with 85% using it weekly, marketing teams are catching up quickly, with 80% using AI at least once a week. Legal departments rank last in AI adoption among departments surveyed, yet nearly half (45%) of legal staff report using new tools weekly.

ChatGPT and other generative AI-based image search and creation tools are the most common AI tools used at work. Some 33% of employees say they use ChatGPT at work, with marketers leading the way at 41%, followed by IT workers at 39%.

Interestingly, AI is already shaving three hours and 47 minutes off workers’ workloads in a typical workweek by summarizing reports, suggesting next steps, handling repetitive tasks and other improvements. By freeing up almost 24 workdays — or a little over a month of work per year — workers can do more valuable, more engaging work, the report said.

Organizations are also developing AI performance metrics, with about 95% of senior executives saying their departments measure the impact of AI on their organizations.

The United States is a leading producer of AI, but it also ranks last in terms of AI adoption and trust. “Knowledge workers are also seeing significant increases in productivity at work, which in turn is driving a lot of interest from employees in mastering AI-related skills. Make no mistake, the AI ​​era is definitely delivering on its promise of freeing up workers to work at a higher level and is showing compelling returns on AI,” said Prakash Ramamurthy, Chief Product Officer at Freshworks.