There is a brand new study practically every week examining the impact of artificial intelligence on the workplace. Microsoft and LinkedIn released their annual Work Trend Index last month, which concluded that staff are embracing AI while employers remain largely paralyzed by indecision. Now Asana and Anthropic have joined forces for this yr’s “State of AI at Work” study.
The results
In March 2024, greater than 5,000 US and UK knowledge staff and consulted AI experts were surveyed to offer a comprehensive assessment of AI adoption within the workplace. The results are tailored to decision makers trying to improve their AI strategies and learn how they will use the technology to extend their organization's productivity and collaboration. Asana presents three key findings:
- The proportion of information staff who use AI weekly has increased by 44 percent to 52 percent within the last nine months.
- Despite the impressive growth in adoption, only 7 percent of employees say their firms have mature AI implementations which might be characterised by the successful integration of multiple AI tools into work processes and the regular assessment of their impact.
- 82 percent of employees say their organizations don’t yet offer training on using generative AI
These statistics is probably not particularly surprising, as other studies have found similar results, but they likely provide insight into what really sets this state of AI within the workplace other than all others.
“What sets this study other than others is its give attention to organizational AI maturity and the actionable insights it provides organizations to advance their AI implementation,” Dr. Rebecca Hinds, head of Asana's Work Innovation Lab, tells VentureBeat in an email. “The report is the primary to categorise organizations in line with a five-stage AI maturity model, from immature (stage 1) to mature (stage 5) implementations. The study also outlines the steps organizations must take to realize mature AI implementations, often called the '5Cs': understanding, concern, collaboration, context, and calibration.”
“For example, within the context of Collaboration 'C' (how people collaborate with AI), we discover that employees in mature AI organizations are 1.5 times more more likely to view AI as teammates. This shift in perspective results in greater AI usage, more enthusiasm, and productivity gains. In terms of Context 'C', organizations with mature AI implementations usually tend to have AI policies and guidelines in place that provide a transparent context for AI usage. In terms of Calibration 'C', only 17 percent of employees in Tier 1 firms say their organizations collect feedback on AI usage, while this rises to 91 percent in Tier 5 firms, underscoring the importance of calibration in mature AI implementations,” she continues.
We're still a good distance from most firms being fully proficient and comfy with AI as a part of their corporate strategy. However, Asana and Anthropic have outlined five stages of AI maturity; a guide that leaders can use to evaluate where their company stands in delivering real transformative results. Many respondents say they’re in either stage one or stage two. Only seven percent claim to have reached the best stage. Unfortunately, the report doesn't list which firms fall into which stage. But what are the characteristics of every maturity stage?
Five stages to AI maturity
Phase 1: AI skepticism
Organizations are realizing the potential of AI and are starting to explore its uses. It's about opening as much as the probabilities of AI.
Stage 2: AI activation
Companies will launch pilot projects to check using AI and gain practical experience. Small-scale experiments can be conducted to grasp the impact and value of the technologies.
Phase 3: AI experiments
Major AI initiatives can be launched and leaders will begin to deal with the challenges of integrating the technology system-wide.
Phase 4: AI scaling
AI is a component of a company's operations, transforming workflows and decision-making processes. It is a component of the corporate's DNA and operational strategy.
Level 5: AI maturity
Companies can cleverly use AI to realize transformative results. Executives have found a solution to strategically align the technology with their business goals.
What's the key to getting an organization to this final stage? Asana and Anthropic conclude that it's necessary to extend understanding and offer resources, training programs and support structures for knowledge staff to enhance their education. Companies also must prioritize the protection and reliability of AI, which implies selecting AI vendors with “complete, integrated data models and investing in high-quality data pipelines and robust governance practices.” AI responses should be interpretable to facilitate decision-making and will at all times be controlled and guided by human operators.
Other elements of organizations in Phase 5 include adopting a human-centered approach, developing comprehensive policies and principles for responsible AI adoption, and with the ability to measure the impact and value of AI (for instance, are there clear metrics tied to business objectives? Can usage be tracked? Have baselines been established to accurately measure the impact of AI?)
Rise through the five “Cs”
To move from AI skepticism to AI maturity, Asana and Anthropic have outlined five aspects that should be met before a company can move forward.
AI understanding
How well do employees understand using AI? The study shows that in firms in the primary phase, only 20 percent of employees use AI on a weekly basis. In firms within the fifth phase, nevertheless, usage increases to 93 percent.
Concerns about AI
Do leaders know what concerns employees most? As firms mature, are they up up to now with AI? In phase 1, employees are primarily concerned about their limited understanding of how AI works. This changes in phases 2 and three, when employees worry about how others perceive their use of AI: Is it authentic? Are they taking shortcuts? In the last two phases, employees are excited about the moral implications of using AI.
AI collaboration
How do employees collaborate with AI? Do they even need to? How do employees view artificial intelligence within the workforce? Some see it as a tool, others as a teammate who actively contributes to work processes, decision-making and problem-solving. It may additionally be perceived more as an advisor, offering expert advice and specialized support on complex problems. In the primary stage, most employees say AI is a tool, but for those in stage 5, it becomes a teammate.
AI context
Do organizations have AI policies, guidelines, and principles in place? Organizations in Phase 1 should not have clear policies for AI usage, which could lead on to potential inconsistencies in the appliance of the technology and hinder innovation. However, Phase 5 sees more widespread adoption of shared AI principles across the organization, detailing ethical use, transparency, fairness, accountability, and privacy related to AI deployment.
AI calibration
The final “C” measures how the effectiveness and value of AI is measured inside the organization. In the primary phase, 20 percent of staff report productivity gains from AI, with this number increasing significantly to 87 percent for firms within the fifth phase. The study suggests that organizations involve their workforce within the evaluation process to effectively calibrate AI.
When asked why Asana and Anthropic partnered for this study, Dr. Hinds said that each firms share a mission to “help humanity by developing advanced and trusted technology. Anthropic is concentrated on constructing secure and ethical AI systems, while Asana is committed to helping teams work together more effectively and efficiently.” However, this shouldn’t be the primary collaboration between the 2, as each R&D teams have been working together on recent product experiences for nearly a yr.
You will find Asana and Anthropics Study “State of AI within the Workplace 2024” here.
