Exclusive: Employees are bringing their own AI to work
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Three out of four "knowledge workers" around the world are using generative AI — but many of them are hiding it from their employers, according to a new joint report from LinkedIn and parent company Microsoft.
Why it matters: The 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report from Microsoft and LinkedIn reveals that employees across industries are embracing AI, but simultaneously worry it's coming for their jobs.
The big picture: Because employees are using AI outside of official company strategy and rules, bosses are struggling to measure AI benefits and adjust their AI investments accordingly.
- All generations of knowledge workers are bringing their own AI tools to work, ranging from 73% of boomers to 85% of Gen Z, and a slim majority (52%) admit to using it on even their most important tasks.
Zoom in: Of AI users surveyed, 53% said they worry that if their employers know they're using AI to be more productive or creative, it will signal that they're replaceable.
- Of leaders surveyed, 66% said they wouldn't hire someone without AI skills — but employees say they're not being helped to get those skills. Only 39% of employees said their organization provides AI training.
- AI "power users" — defined as those who use generative AI at least several times a week and who save 30 minutes a day through that — have started to fundamentally reorganize their work days around AI use, they told LinkedIn.
How they did it: The survey that forms the basis of the report included 31,000 people across 31 countries. The results were combined with deep-dive research with Fortune 500 companies, hiring trends from LinkedIn and "trillions" of anonymized Microsoft 365 data points.
The intrigue: While workers are happy to dive into AI use, and told the pollsters they feel the productivity benefits, their bosses are struggling with AI.
- 79% of leaders believe their company needs to adopt AI to stay competitive, but 59% are worried they aren't effectively quantifying productivity gains from AI, and 60% worry their AI plans are insufficient.
What they're saying: "The AI moment is here" and "it's arriving from the bottom up" in workplaces, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky told Axios in an interview.
- "Ignoring the technology is not an option right now," he said, advising CEOs, CIOs and human resources chiefs to work together on plans for skills and guardrails for AI use.
- "Leaders who build for agility instead of stability and invest in skill-building internally will give their organizations a competitive advantage," he said.
Stop equating roles with job titles, Roslansky advised. Instead, break roles into sets of tasks, and, from there, figure out which tasks will be automated and what new skills you might need to remain competitive.
- Roslansky said LinkedIn estimates that, on average, 25% of the skills needed to perform a given job have changed since 2015. He's predicting that will rise to 70% by 2030.
He advises his own teenage daughter that "learning how to learn" and "a growth mindset, where you always learn new skills" are the best ways to stay competitive.
Behind the scenes: LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, operates at an arm's length from its parent company, but generative AI is one instance where Roslansky has eagerly tapped into Microsoft's expertise.
- "We have access to cutting-edge tech inside the Microsoft ecosystem, and this is year three for us integrating generative AI. Now every part of LinkedIn is being GenAI-ified," he said.
