Slack’s latest Workforce Index revealed a significant increase in AI adoption and excitement among desk workers, with daily AI usage higher by an astounding 233% in just six months. The survey of 5,000 global desk workers also found that AI has emerged as a clear competitive advantage, as workers who use AI daily prove to be 64% more productive and 81% more satisfied with their job than colleagues not using AI.
The Index reveals that workers are using AI to level up, going beyond just automating tasks. 96% of workers have used AI to perform tasks they previously didn’t have the skills to do themselves, and today’s workers are 154% more likely to turn to AI agents to help them perform tasks better and more creatively, rather than to just simply automate their work.
“The surge in AI adoption is fundamentally reshaping the workplace,” said Denise Dresser, CEO of Slack. “As workers embrace AI with growing trust and confidence, businesses gain a clear opportunity to unlock greater productivity and innovation, while workers grow more confident and fulfilled.”
Why it matters: While workers have been slower to adopt AI than executives, adoption has surged over the past few months, with 60% of desk workers now using AI and 40% using AI agents. And Slack’s latest Index shows that trust and confidence in AI grows with use; workers who use AI agents daily are twice as likely to trust them. With workers all-in on AI, businesses can deliver on their AI vision and unlock the full potential of digital labor within their organizations.
Salesforce perspective: “When it comes to workers and AI, the data shows us that seeing is believing,” says Lucas Puente, VP of Research. “As workers actually use and experiment with AI agents, their trust and enthusiasm in this technology grows – and we see them leveraging agents to unlock new skills and opportunities in their everyday work.”
Middle East perspective: “What we see amongst organizations in the Middle East reflects the global research in Slack’s Workforce Index, with strong adoption of AI agents among workers, and particularly millennials,” said Mohammed Alkhotani, SVP and GM, Salesforce Middle East. “This is a positive development and is helping to enhance workers’ productivity and creativity. It is important for organizations to nurture this enthusiasm for AI and to ensure they have the right solutions and policies in place to ensure sustainable, long-term success with AI.”
