Microsoft and LinkedIn published the Work Trend Index 2024 report: three out of four employees use AI at work

Microsoft and LinkedIn have published their joint annual Work Trend Index 2024 report on the use of AI at work. The study, titled “AI Has Arrived at the Workplace. Now Comes the Hard Part,” is based on a survey of 31,000 people in 31 countries, an analysis of labor and hiring trends on the LinkedIn platform, millions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, and client research from the Fortune 500. These collected data demonstrate how, in just one year, artificial intelligence has changed work approaches, hiring processes, and human resource management worldwide. Microsoft also announced new Copilot capabilities for Microsoft 365, while LinkedIn introduced more than 50 free training courses for LinkedIn Premium subscribers, designed to help professionals at all levels improve their AI skills.

2024 will be the year when artificial intelligence in workflows becomes a reality. Over the past six months, the use of generative AI at work has nearly doubled. LinkedIn has seen a significant increase in the number of professionals adding AI skills to their profiles, and most executives note that they would not hire someone without AI skills. However, because many leaders are concerned that their company lacks an AI vision and employees are using their own tools, leaders have approached the most challenging part of any technological breakthrough—transitioning from experimentation to tangible business impact.

The report highlights three key insights about the impact of AI on work and the labor market that will be useful for every leader and professional this year:

— Employees want to use AI at work and will not wait for companies to catch up: 75% of knowledge workers now use AI in their work. Many struggle with the pace and volume of tasks and note that AI saves time, boosts creativity, and allows them to focus on the most important aspects. Although 79% of executives agree that adopting AI is crucial for maintaining competitiveness, 60% say their company lacks a vision and plan for its adoption and use. Therefore, employees are taking matters into their own hands. 78% of AI users are using their own tools at work. This results in companies missing out on the benefits of strategic, large-scale AI use and exposing company data to risk

— For employees, AI raises the bar and breaks the “glass ceiling” in careers: although for many, the question of AI raises concerns about job loss, the data shows another perspective—with a shortage of skilled labor and some employees seeking to change professions, learning AI opens up significant opportunities. Most executives express concern about having enough talent this year, especially leaders in cybersecurity, engineering, and creative design, who feel the most pressure. 46% of employees worldwide are considering leaving their jobs next year—a record high since the “Great Resignation” of 2021. Although two-thirds of executives would not hire a specialist 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. Therefore, professionals are upskilling on their own. By the end of last year, there was a 142-fold increase in the number of LinkedIn users adding AI skills such as Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles, and a 160% increase in the number of non-technical professionals using LinkedIn Learning courses to develop AI skills

— The growing number of experienced AI users and their vision of the future: the study identified four types of AI users—from skeptics who rarely use AI to experienced users who use it deeply. Compared to skeptics, experienced AI users have fundamentally reoriented their workdays, rethinking business processes and saving more than 30 minutes of work time per day. Over 90% of experienced users say AI makes their huge workload more manageable and work more enjoyable, but they do not do this alone. These users are 61% more likely to have heard from their directors about the importance of using generative AI at work, 53% more likely to receive support from management in finding ways to use AI to adjust their job functions, and 35% more likely to receive AI training tailored to their specific role or tasks.

Microsoft also announced updates to Copilot for Microsoft 365 to help people start working with AI. For example, the prompt chat will feature a new autocomplete function. Copilot will now help users by completing their started prompts and offering more detailed options based on the entered text to ensure better results. When people know what they want but cannot find the right words, the new rewriting feature in Copilot will turn a basic prompt into an expanded one with a single button click. Another update is Catch Up—a new chat interface that displays personal information based on recent actions and provides timely recommendations. For example, Copilot can highlight an upcoming meeting and provide relevant information to help participants prepare. New Copilot Lab capabilities will allow people to create, publish, and manage prompts tailored to them, their team, job role, and functions. These updates will be available in the coming months.