AI and the future of work: valuable insights and statistics
September 21, 2023
September 30, 2024
Artificial Intelligence will keep reshuffling how we do our jobs. There is no doubt about it.. So, what should you know about this drastic change happening at your doorstep? We have analyzed various resources about AI and the future of work. More than increasing productivity, AI, especially generative AI, has a lot to offer to employers and workers.
Over time, AI will definitely be coupled with robotics. While many people are worried about being replaced by robots run by AI, this doesn’t necessarily imply that everything will be done artificially. It mostly means perceiving AI as an ally is key to succeeding professionally. AI tools will mainly support employees in being more effective, making better decisions, and lowering human error.
What are the statistics foreseeing about using AI in the work landscape? Which sectors of activity will benefit the most from AI? What can we learn from the AI high performers’ visions and practices? We share our findings in the article, hoping it will give you a better idea regarding what you can expect with the rise of AI in the workplace.
A rapid and powerful change in the professional landscape
The AI power to leverage productivity
This is one of the most appealing perks of using AI in the workplace. When employees pair up with AI-based solutions, their productivity levels skyrocket. They can finally delegate repetitive and low-value tasks, not to an intern or a colleague, but to a digital tool. This gives them more time to focus on meaningful, more impactful processes. Teaming up with AI also reduces the risks of human error while leaving more room for creativity and innovation. Overall, if workers can see AI tools as virtual peers rather than enemies, they will multiply their output and find more satisfaction in their jobs.
The rapid adoption of generative AI
Artificial intelligence tools aren’t new, but the rise of generative AI (GAI) is. Since November 2022, most of us have tried at least once in our personal or professional lives to use a Gen. AI solution like ChatGPT, for example. While the adoption of AI tools remains steady, the arrival of GAI has created an earthquake in the workplace. Companies understand these technologies' value and potential, whether to decrease the number of repetitive tasks, reduce human error, or increase their services and products' value.
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The new job opportunities resulting from this new era
Many worry that the development and the adoption of AI technologies will compromise their job positions. Contrarily, experts say it will create more career opportunities than it displaces. An interesting table from the LinkedIn Future of Work report reveals how much share of skills GAI can impact according to different professions. For example, while GAI can increase software engineers’ share of skills by 96%, these insights expect that this number only reaches 4% for nurses. Moreover, some new jobs will be in high demand to embrace this new era. This is the case for machine learning engineers, AI data scientists, AI product owners, prompt engineers, etc.
Workers’ re-skilling and up-skilling
Using AI in the workplace allows your staff to focus on more purposeful tasks and add value to their job. But this technological and digital shift also implies that they must develop their skills to work successfully with these tools. Gaining AI literacy among workforces is going to be a core aspect to tackle for businesses from now on. The good news is that education is one of the best AI application areas. Therefore, companies can use AI-based learning platforms to train, up-skill, and re-skill their staff on AI. Many professionals have already started to learn more about AI and how to use it in their jobs. The LinkedIn report gives us unmistakable proof of this pattern. According to their numbers, an average of 75% of LinkedIn users are adding terms like “GAI,” “ChatGPT,” “Prompt Engineering,” and “Prompt Crafting” to their profile.
Key statistics about AI and the future of work
2023 has been a turning point for AI. So, what AI-related changes can we expect to see in the workplace soon? Here are a few statistics that show how artificial Intelligence will change our world of work in the (very near) future.
- 75% of the total annual value could be delivered by GAI use cases in marketing and sales, product and service development, software engineering, and service operations.
- 47% of U.S. executives firmly believe applying generative artificial Intelligence will improve employee productivity.
- 84% of U.S. workers are in positions that could leverage GAI to automate a minimum of 25% of the repetitive tasks and boost productivity.
- 92% agree that soft skills are more important than ever when incorporating AI in a professional environment.
- 40% of U.S. managers also believe that using GAI will enable more growth and revenue opportunities in 2024.
- Since November 2022, LinkedIn has registered 21 times more job postings mentioning GPT or ChatGPT in their description.
- According to a Microsoft survey, 70% of workers would delegate as much as they can to AI tools.
- 20% of employees have to be re-skilled to match the needs of an AI landscape, according to the McKinsey study “The State of AI in 2023”.
- Only 8% of the same respondents expect to see a cut in the size of their workforce by more than 20% with the expansion of AI for work purposes.
- 20% of AI high performers’ earnings result from AI adoption.
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The future impact of generative AI according to your industry
Now that you have a better idea of how AI will reshape the future of work, it is also relevant to understand which industries AI makes the most sense.
In which sectors can generative artificial intelligence benefit the most?
Not every industry or job will have the same interest in using AI. While it significantly impacts some jobs by boosting employees' performance and productivity, it will only add a little value for others. Operational and knowledge-based jobs will be the first to benefit from GAI's development in the upcoming years. These tools will deeply change the way people work and create considerable value in the jobs of those working in the following fields:
- service and product development;
- marketing and sales;
- service operations;
- finance;
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics);
- healthcare.
The good news is that AI could reduce some issues that these sectors of activities, like STEM or healthcare, have been experiencing over the last few years, including talent shortage and burnout. Therefore, organizations have a lot to gain from using AI to support and enhance the work of their staff. For example, software engineers could increase their share of skills by up to 96%, thanks to GAI.
In which jobs do GAI tools have the least interest?
So far, artificial intelligence hasn’t been coupled with robotics. Until this is done, incorporating these tools for manufacturing jobs will not bring much value to employees and companies because those professions require precise skills. Therefore, for drivers or construction workers, for instance, using AI won’t expand their share of skills yet.
The same goes for sectors of activities that are based on specialized and soft skills, like nurses, teachers, or environmental health safety consultants. These professions involve a lot of specific competencies and a human approach that current AI tools can’t mimic.
People skills are becoming more important than ever. The most demanded soft skills in the U.S. over the last couple of months are flexibility (+158%), professional ethics (+120%), social perceptiveness (+118%), and self-management (83%). AI tools cannot replace those skills yet. So, any job position that requires similar abilities is less likely to be made redundant by AI.
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The AI high performers’ visions and practices
What are AI high performers?
For most organizations, AI tools are still at their doorstep, waiting for the door to open. Yet, some firms welcomed these new tools in their workspace a while ago and are already far upfront regarding AI utilization. They are known as AI high performers. They have adopted these tools since the beginning of traditional AI and are now confidently doing the same with generative AI. They see the value these technologies can bring to their businesses and are fully in. According to McKinsey, they are three times more likely than other companies to re-skill more than 30% of their teams in the next three years.
How do they implement artificial intelligence in the work landscape?
AI high performers' priority isn't to cut costs but to add or create value. In other words, their main goal is to expand their revenue source and develop new ones thanks to AI. To succeed, more than 20% of their IT budget is dedicated to AI tools, which will likely increase in the future. Moreover, they hire more AI-related professionals than other businesses.
Overall, they engage in practices divided into six categories:
- strategy;
- talent and leadership;
- ways of working;
- models, tools, and technology;
- data;
- adoption.
Yet, because of their AI maturity over the years, their main challenges are less likely to concern strategic matters but more to models and tools.
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How do they make the most use of AI tools?
One of the differences between AI high performers and other organizations is that their AI strategy is crystal clear. Moreover, 60% of their senior management is aligned and engaged with the AI strategy in place 1. These companies have embedded AI in four or more business functions. Most of them have focused on integrating AI into product and service development, service operations, risk modelling, and HR. Last but not least, high AI performers tend to build or customize their AI-based systems in-house compared to other enterprises. This allows them to answer corporate needs, scale up more efficiently, and create value.
AI will bring much more to businesses and employees than just greater productivity. It is going to entirely reshuffle ways of working and processes to enhance effectiveness and, most importantly, boost value. Knowledge-based jobs will benefit from AI support first as specialized and people skills cannot be replaced (yet). Up-skilling and re-skilling workers will play a central part in making the most of these AI tools in the future and embracing this digital shift. Businesses that want to open their door to this new era can learn a lot from AI high performers. The way they’ve been using AI for years and their plans for the future are a valuable source of information for companies that aim to take the same path.
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1 AI High Performers Report: What Sets Winners Apart?, CMC Global.
Sources:
- Future of Work Report, AI at Work, LinkedIn;
- The state of AI in 2023: Generative AI’s breakout year, McKinsey;
- AI High Performers Report: What Sets Winners Apart?, CMC Global.
