Employees Want AI, And Won’t Wait For Companies To Catch Up
Seventy-five percent of knowledge workers now use AI at work. Employees said AI saves time, boosts creativity and allows them to focus on their most important work. But although 79% of leaders agreed AI adoption is critical to remain competitive, 59% worry about quantifying the productivity gains of AI and 60% said their company lacks a vision and plan to implement it.
Hence, employees are taking things into their own hands, with 78% of AI users bringing their own tools to work, missing out on benefits that come from strategic AI use at scale and putting company data at risk.
AI Raises The Bar And Breaks The Career Ceiling
A majority of leaders (55%) are concerned about having enough talent to fill roles this year, with leaders in cybersecurity, engineering and creative design feeling the pinch most. In addition, 46% of professionals are considering quitting in the year ahead, according to the report.
Although 66% of leaders wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills, only 39% of users have received AI training from their company and only 25% of companies expect to offer it this year. Hence, professionals are skilling up on their own. There has been a 142x increase in LinkedIn members adding AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles and a 160% increase in nontechnical professionals using LinkedIn Learning courses to build their AI aptitude.
Rise Of AI Power Users
Four types of AI users emerged in the research: from skeptics who rarely use AI to power users who use it extensively. AI power users have reoriented their workdays, saving over 30 minutes per day. Over 90% of power users said AI makes their workload more manageable and work more enjoyable.
These users are 61% more likely to have heard from their CEO on the importance of using generative AI at work, 53% more likely to receive encouragement from leadership on AI use and 35% more likely to receive AI training for their specific role or function.
“AI is redefining work, and it’s clear we need new playbooks,” said Ryan Roslansky, chief executive officer of LinkedIn. “It’s the leaders who build for agility instead of stability and invest in skill building internally that will give their organisations a competitive advantage and create more efficient, engaged and equitable teams.”