AI is changing the world, and it's only just getting started. Generative AI alone could increase global productivity growth by more than 25%. Yes, it's staggering.
Businesses should already be harnessing the transformative power of AI at some level. For those lagging or looking to scale their AI efforts, it begins with understanding workers' AI expectations — you might be pleasantly surprised at what you find — and then working to fuel those expectations so AI can deliver more value to your organization.
Let's explore why AI is such a game-changing innovation, how workers view AI today, and four ways you can accelerate AI adoption across your organization.
The rapid ascension of AI is unparalleled
It's hard to believe that ChatGPT was released just two years ago. Now, it's pop culture and a venture capital darling, having just raised $6.6 billion from investors. Since then, a number of other similar technologies have been launched, including from well-known vendors such as Meta and X.
Tech innovation has always moved quickly, but the rise of AI is something different. It took five years for the World Wide Web to reach 44 million users and another five years to reach 400 million. That pace is downright glacial compared to the rise of AI. McKinsey found that half of all businesses were using AI in at least one function in 2022. Two years later, it's at 72%.
Generative AI is accelerating that adoption pace. And what makes it even more exciting is its rapid adoption by consumers and workers alike. It went from relatively unknown to being used by 70% of marketers in just two years. Overall, the adoption rate of generative AI is faster than that of PCs and the internet.
AI is changing expectations
What do all those reports and statistics mean? Many organizations are embracing AI for chatbot-driven customer service that handles requests, automated helpers that aid with vacation scheduling and benefits management, coding assistance for faster software development, and much more. Here are 135 more examples of companies as diverse as Best Buy, Warner Bros., Pfizer, and Schwab embracing AI.
Worker expectations are shifting, too. Just as your employees expect work apps — Slack, Zoom, and Notion, for example — to mimic the simple, fast, and intuitive experiences of apps they use at home, they expect generative AI tools to also help them in the workplace.
To use AI to drive growth and improve customer experiences, your employees must be fully on the AI bandwagon. Overcoming some of the "it's-going-to-take-our-jobs" fear is an excellent first step. But digging deeper into your culture and workers' attitudes is just as important.
AI has intergenerational appeal at work
It's cliché to think that older workers are less likely to be tech-savvy than younger workers. AI is changing that sentiment, too. In fact, it's the younger generation that's lagging on AI.
I like quantitative research, so let's start with a few statistics:
- Workers of all ages are adopting AI almost equally. A study by Ernst & Young found that Gen X, Y, and Z all use AI professionally at about the same rates: 70%, 74%, and 63%, respectively.
- Every generation sees the potential of AI. Researchers found that Gens X and Z see the biggest benefits in customer experience, while Gen Y expects business growth to be most impacted by AI.
- Younger workers are more likely to fear AI taking their jobs. A study by Dice found that workers under age 35 have more anxiety about AI's impact on their careers compared with those over 45.
In short, age isn't a determining factor for AI adoption. So, approaching your workforce with AI initiatives requires the application of enthusiasm equally across age groups.
4 tips to accelerate AI adoption across the company
At my company, Planful, AI is ingrained in not just our product, but in our daily work. Here are four tips I've learned from helping Planful's internal teams increase speed, productivity, and accuracy by using AI in their jobs.
#1 - Start small, and then scale.
Different individuals, teams, and executives will have different feelings about AI use cases and its value. At Planful, we appointed a small, volunteer squad of AI testers who are comfortable with new technologies and invited them to incorporate AI into their daily workflows. After a few weeks of testing, we started rolling out tools to the wider organization that the testers found most useful. While AI is still new and opinions may vary across teams, starting small, gathering feedback, and leveraging your company’s culture can help drive adoption effectively.
We found this approach worked well, because it democratized the learning process so employees felt tools were not forced upon them, while simultaneously ensuring a programmatic approach to measuring adoption, and, most importantly, impacts to customer experience and productivity.
#2 - Worker training and engagement are essential for success.
AI may spark conversations about technology, but the real focus should be on your people. It's important not only to build their confidence in AI solutions, but also to reassure them of your support and their capabilities.
Early AI efforts should emphasize communication and strong leadership to ease concerns, as fear remains a barrier to adoption. Many workers worry that AI will replace their skills, though research from Goldman Sachs shows that it has caused less than 0.1% of job separations. The true value of AI lies in boosting productivity, speed, and accuracy. And note that this communication and training shouldn’t stop at employees—your fellow executives also need to be educated on AI, including responsible usage, privacy, and security.
#3 - Identify your AI superusers and leverage their experiences.
AI might be cutting-edge, but change management is nothing new. Peers and colleagues are the best evangelists, so leverage their excitement and experience using AI, realizing its benefits, and offering relatable examples of how it’s helping them.
Hearing real success stories from colleagues makes AI more understandable by shifting the conversation from consumer-focused benefits, like answering questions about the Roman Empire, to business-focused benefits, like answering questions about last quarter's top three most profitable business units.
#4 - Make AI a business imperative.
AI is not to be taken lightly. It is already changing the world and will continue to surprise us in the coming years. Companies that recognized the importance of the internet in the late 1990s were far ahead of offline competitors in a short time. For many, the lead has lasted decades: just compare Amazon's stock price to Macy's.
AI must be one of your top business priorities. Full stop. Competitors are adopting AI internally to advance their products and customer experiences. Next-generation, AI-first companies can go from idea to viable business in weeks versus years. Most importantly, customers will compare your offerings to those of others. Customers will look elsewhere if you aren't using every available tool to make your offerings better.
Expect AI to drive your business
Getting the most from AI is all about expectations. Employees, customers, competitors, investors, boards — everyone expects AI to change everything.
You must expect teams to start using AI in earnest. Sure, you'll need to be the cheerleader and guide the move to AI, but it all comes back to one thing: organizations achieve peak performance or cease to exist. Companies are in business to generate value. AI offers unprecedented, transformative power…every business can and should use it.
