New data shows that most employees are experimenting with AI and developing their skills. now, the job of each leader is to channel this experimentation into commercial impact
REDMOND, Washington — May 8, 2024 — On Wednesday, Microsoft Corp. and LinkedIn released the 2024 Work Trend Index, a joint report on the state of AI in the workplace titled: “AI at work is here. Now comes the hard part.” The study, based on a survey of 31,000 people in 31 countries, workforce and hiring trends on LinkedIn, billions of productivity signals from Microsoft 365, and research conducted with Fortune 500 customers, shows how, in just one year, AI is influencing the way people work. , lead and hire globally. Microsoft also announced new features in Copilot for Microsoft 365, and LinkedIn released more 50 learning courses for LinkedIn Premium subscribers, designed to enable professionals of all levels to develop their AI skills.(1)
The data is in: 2024 is the year AI at work becomes reality. The use of generative AI in the workplace has almost doubled in the last six months. LinkedIn is seeing a significant increase in professionals adding AI skills to their profiles, and most executives say they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills. But while many executives worry that their companies lack an AI vision and that their employees are bringing their own AI tools to work, executives have reached the hardest part of any technology disruption: moving from experimentation to tangible business impact.
“AI is democratizing expertise across the workforce,” said Satya Nadella, president and CEO of Microsoft. “Our latest research highlights the opportunity for every organization to apply this technology to improve decision-making, collaboration and, ultimately, business outcomes.”
The report highlights three insights every leader and professional needs to know about the impact of AI on work and the job market in the year ahead:
- Employees want AI at work – and won’t wait for companies to catch up: Seventy-five percent of knowledge workers now use AI at work. Employees, many of whom struggle to keep up with the pace and volume of work, say AI saves them time, boosts creativity and allows them to focus on their most important work. But even though 79% of executives agree that adopting AI is essential to remaining competitive, 59% worry about quantifying AI’s productivity gains and 60% say their company lacks vision and a plan to implement it. Employees therefore take matters into their own hands. 78% of AI users use their own tools at work – Bring Your Own AI (BYOAI) – and miss out on the benefits of strategic use of AI at scale and put company data at risk business. The opportunity for every leader is to channel this momentum into large-scale business impact.
- For employees, AI raises the bar and exceeds the career ceiling: While AI and job loss are top of mind for many, the data offers a more nuanced view: a hidden talent shortage, employees considering a career change, and huge opportunities for those looking to upskill in AI. A majority of executives (55%) are concerned about not having enough talent to fill roles this year, with executives in cybersecurity, engineering and creative design most affected. And professionals are looking for it. Forty-six percent of global respondents plan to quit smoking in the coming year – the highest level since the Great Shakedown of 2021. LinkedIn study found that the numbers in the US were even higher, with 85% considering a career move. Although two-thirds of executives (66%) would not hire someone without AI skills, only 39% of users have received AI training at their company and only 25% of companies plan to offer it this year. Professionals therefore improve on their own. Late last year, we saw a 142-fold increase in LinkedIn members adding AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles and a 160% increase in non-technical professionals using LinkedIn courses Learning to develop their AI skills. In a world where mentions of AI in LinkedIn job postings lead to a 17% increase in applicant growth, it’s a two-way street: organizations that give their employees tools and AI training will attract top talent, and professionals who upskill will have the advantage. .
- The rise of the AI power user – and what it reveals about the future: Four types of AI users emerged in the research: from skeptics who rarely use AI to experienced users who use it extensively. Compared to skeptics, AI power users reoriented their workday in fundamental ways, reinventing business processes and saving more than 30 minutes per day. More than 90% of power users say AI makes their heavy workload more manageable and their work more enjoyable, but they don’t do it alone. These users are 61% more likely to have heard their CEO talk about the importance of using generative AI at work, 53% more likely to receive encouragement from leaders to think about how it AI can transform their role, and 35% more likely to receive personalized AI. training for their specific role or function.
“AI is redefining work and it’s clear we need new playbooks,” said Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn. “It’s the leaders who prioritize agility over stability and invest in developing the skills internally that will give their organization a competitive advantage and create more effective, engaged and equitable teams. »
Microsoft is also announcing Copilot innovations for Microsoft 365 to help users get started with AI.
- A new Autocomplete the functionality arrives in the dialog box. Copilot will now help people who have the beginning of a prompt by offering to complete it, suggesting a more detailed prompt based on what is typed, to provide a more robust result.
- When people know what they want, but don’t have the right words, the new rewrite The Copilot feature will turn a basic prompt into a rich prompt with just one click.
- Catch up is a new chat interface that presents personal information based on recent activity and provides responsive recommendations. For example, Copilot will flag an upcoming meeting and provide relevant information to help attendees prepare.
- And new features in Copilot Lab will allow users to create, publish and manage prompts tailored to themselves, as well as their specific team, role and function.
These features will be available in the coming months.
LinkedIn also provides AI tools to help you stay ahead in your career.
- For improvement. LinkedIn Learning offers more than 22,000 courses, including more than 600 AI courses, for develop skills in generative AIgive your teams the means to make GAI-based business investments, or simply to keep your skills up to date. This includes more than 50 new AI learning courses to empower professionals at all skill levels. The new courses are free and accessible to everyone until July 8. Plus, our new AI-powered coaching in LinkedIn Learning helps learners find the content they need to develop their skills faster, with greater personalization and guided conversational learning.
- For career development. For LinkedIn Premium subscribers, personalized AI-powered takeaways on LinkedIn Feed on posts, articles, or videos (from article to comment) can also help your daily career with insights and insights. personalized and relevant opportunities, including ideas and actions you can take.
- For job searching. And if you want to change jobs, we also make it easier and faster to find your ideal job. With new AI-powered tools, you can now assess your suitability for a role in seconds based on your experience and skills, get tips on how to stand out, and followers will also see insights. thumbs up, for example suggestions for skills to develop, professionals in your network to contact, and more. So far, over 90% of subscribers with access have shared that it has been helpful in their job search.
To find out more, visit Official Microsoft BlogTHE Labor Trends Index Report 2024and head towards LinkedIn to learn more about the company’s chief economist, Karin Kimbrough.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates AI-powered platforms and tools to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI accessible at scale and responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to do more.
About LinkedIn
LinkedIn connects professionals around the world to make them more productive and successful and transforms the way companies hire, learn, market and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the continued development of the world’s first economic graph. LinkedIn has over a billion members and has offices around the world.
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(1) The courses will be available for free until July 8, 2024.
