AI Adoption Soars Amid Worker Burnout, Microsoft and LinkedIn Report

Art of a worker sitting a desk in an office with Copilot logo on monitor
Credit: StealthOptional / Microsoft

Art of a worker sitting a desk in an office with Copilot logo on monitor
Credit: StealthOptional / Microsoft

Breakdown

  • According to a recent Work Trend report from Microsoft and LinkedIn, 75% of adults are using AI in the workplace
  • This is likely due to 70% of workers struggling with their workload, with 50% feeling burnt out
  • However, AI is still a niche thing in the workplace, with only 20% of US workers using ChatGPT in their careers

More people than ever are fighting for a great work-life balance, but as requirements in jobs become too laborious, workers are turning to AI to ease their responsibilities. This was confirmed in a recent Work Trends Index for 2024, with Microsoft and LinkedIn confirming 75% of surveyed workers use AI tools.

From Galaxy AI features in our smartphones, ChatGPT in our earbuds, and teens talking to AI chatbots for companionship, the world of artificial intelligence seems to have come out of nowhere overnight. While there's plenty of times where AI has been used negatively, the potential future of AI in the workplace is both terrifying and inevitable.

However, some workers are taking artificial intelligence into their own hands. In a recent Work Trend report from Microsoft and LinkedIn that was released on Wednesday, shows that three-quarters of the 31,000 surveyed workers are already using AI in the workplace, 46% of which only started using AI in the last six months.

In the report, which surveyed users across 31 countries, as well as using various LinkedIn and Microsoft 365 data, it seems that most workers use AI to help them complete the monotonous tasks - less time spent on emails, more time spent on important and must-do items on the agenda. There's no surprise though, as 70% of those who took part said that they struggle with workload and pacing, while half admitted to feeling burnt out.

With the rise of chatbots like ChatGPT, many have worried about their careers and whether AI will take away some important jobs in various industries. However, according to a Pew survey from earlier this year (via WIRED), only 20% of US workers have used AI in their work.

It's clear that AI is here to stay, and while the idea of AI taking away our jobs is, frankly, very scary, the idea of helping it lighten the workload is appealing. But, wider adoption of AI in the workplace will need to happen first.