On Future of Work, readers typically find articles about how organizations integrate new technology to help boost the employee experience, which in turn boosts business operations.
But we won’t do that with this article. Instead, let’s take a look at a few surveys to see what is happening behind the scenes when it comes to organizations and their take on the future of work.
FOMO Drives AI Adoption
A survey by ABBYY indicates that fear of missing out (FOMO) is a driver for AI investment, with 63% of global IT leaders concerned about falling behind. Despite concerns about implementation costs, average AI investment exceeded $879,000 in the past year.
Customer pressure is another key factor driving AI adoption, with over half of business leaders admitting to feeling pressured by their customers. While SLMs are generally trusted more than LLMs, there are still concerns about misuse by staff, AI hallucinations, and compliance risks.
Despite these concerns, respondents reported a high level of trust in AI tools overall. The most trusted tools are SLMs and purpose-built AI. Many organizations are seeking guidance on trustworthy AI policies and compliance.
U.S. Consumers Optimistic About AI, with a Cautious Mindset
The Talkdesk survey on AI in financial services showed there is a cautiously optimistic outlook among U.S. consumers. While nearly half view AI chatbots positively, a generational divide exists, with millennials embracing them more than baby boomers. Despite this, human interaction remains crucial, especially for complex financial decisions.
AI has potential for enhancing routine tasks like account inquiries and customer support. However, consumers still prefer human representatives for critical decisions like loan approvals. Other key findings include consumers' desire for improved efficiency through AI and the need for easy escalation to human agents.
Nonprofits Look to AI for Better Engagement
A report by Twilio.org shows that nonprofits are adopting new technologies, particularly AI, to improve engagement with their end users. This includes healthcare organizations using AI to improve patient satisfaction scores, educational institutions using it to connect with students on messaging platforms and traditional nonprofits using AI for faster response times and better data-driven decision making.
For instance, implementing AI led to a 50% improvement in patient experience for healthcare organizations. However, there's a gap in transparency around AI use. While 83% of nonprofits believe they are transparent, only 38% of end users agree. This presents an opportunity for nonprofits to build trust by clearly communicating how and why they're using data.
The report also found that to keep pace with innovation and user demands, nonprofits are actively recruiting developers. With 88% of organizations planning to hire developers in 2024, this trend suggests nonprofits are prioritizing building strong internal tech teams to further use AI and other digital tools.
Companies Lag Behind in Net-Zero Carbone Emissions Goals
Many companies are falling behind on their net-zero carbon emissions goals, according to a survey by NTT Corp. While 68% admitted to being off track, the actual number could be as high as 95%. Key reasons for this include rising data usage, balancing business and sustainability goals, and overlooking external factors. Despite challenges, some companies are making progress. These "leaders" have tapped into the likes of AI and IoT, and have strong internal structures and external networks.
Critical AI Skills Gap Found
O'Reilly's 2024 State of Security Survey found a disconnect between the evolving threats and the readiness of security teams. Key findings include a critical AI security skills gap, with only 33.9% of tech professionals reporting sufficient skills. Cloud security expertise is also lacking, with 38.9% identifying it as the most significant skills shortage.
Looking ahead, AI-enabled security tools and automation are priorities. The survey also highlights phishing as the top threat, followed by network intrusion and ransomware.
Despite 88.1% of organizations implementing multifactor authentication and other security measures, a certification gap persists, with 40.8% of security team members remaining uncertified.
Well, readers, if you want to learn more about the future of work and the direction various work environments are headed, then Future of Work Expo 2025 is for you.
The conference, taking place February 11-13, 2025, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, focuses on key elements of today's re-imagined workplace, not just for improving productivity, but also providing a better experience, through the intersection of technology like AI and the human element.
Edited by
Alex Passett
