A Microsoft study revealed that AI affects digital debt and increases professional creativity

Microsoft made conclusions Work Direction Index 2023 – Will artificial intelligence fix the business?. The study surveyed more than 31,000 people in 31 countries and analyzed billions of productivity signals on Microsoft 365 and job trends on LinkedIn between February 1, 2023, and March 14, 2023.

study reveals three ideas For leaders looking to understand and responsibly embrace AI in their organizations:

1. Digital debt puts innovation at risk

In a world where creativity is the new productivity, digital debt—the large flow of data, emails, meetings, and notifications—affects business. In this study, about 64% of the respondents said they had difficulties finding the time and energy to do their work. They are 3.5 times more likely to struggle with strategic thinking. 60% of leaders say they already feel these effects, citing a lack of innovative ideas In their teams a concern.

When analyzing the way people spend their time, it is clear that lack of focus, information-seeking, and volume of connections come at a cost. 68% say they don’t have enough time to focus without interruption, while 62% struggle with time spent searching for information.

In a finer analysis, in Microsoft 365 Apps, the average employee spends 57% of the time communicating (meetings, emails and chatting) and 43% creating (documents, spreadsheets, presentations). Most intense users (top 25%) Spending 8.8 hours a week sending emails and 7.5 hours a week in meetings – More than two working days to manage incoming mail and conduct meetings.

• A new alliance between artificial intelligence and employees

At a time when there is great concern that AI will take jobs, the data revealed the opposite: employees are more anxious about AI to lighten their workload than they are about losing jobs. despite of 49% say they are worried about artificial intelligence Go and replace their jobs, 70% would delegate as much work to AI as possible to reduce the workload.

Among the possible usage scenarios, 3 out of 4 people say they would be comfortable using AI Administrative tasks (76%), analytical work (79%), creative work (73%). including helping them find the information and answers they need (86%), summarizing meetings and action points (80%) and planning the day (77%).

Respondents also believe that AI can boost creativity, the more they understand, the more benefits they see. For example, 87% of people working in creative roles are very familiar with AIstated that they would feel comfortable using this tool for the creative aspects of their work.

• All employees must know how to work with artificial intelligence

Working with AI – using natural language – will be as integral to how we work as the Internet and the personal computer. 82% of leaders surveyed say their employees will need new skills to be ready for the growth of AI. As AI transforms work, human-AI collaboration will be the next standard for transformative work—and the ability to work frequently with AI will be an essential skill.

To promote, There are 33 times more posts on LinkedIn mentioning topics such as generative AI and GPT compared to last year And as of March 2023, the percentage of US job listings on LinkedIn that mention GPT is up 79% year over year.

For Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, This new generation of AI will eliminate time-consuming tasks and boost creativity. He further adds, “There is a huge opportunity for AI-powered tools to help relieve digital debt, develop new skills, and empower employees.”.

Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Viva updates

In March, Microsoft introduced Microsoft 365 Copilot – your business pilot assistant. Today, the technology is launching Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access, a paid, invitation-only preview program that will initially launch to 600 customers. Among the series of new features for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Viva is also the introduction of the Copilot Semantic Index, a new feature for Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 users.