Here’s how workers are using AI

Three out of four office workers are using AI every day for work

As IT leaders try to get a handle on “shadow AI” - AI usage that flies under the radar of IT oversight - a new report reveals the most popular tasks for AI.

Three out of four office workers are using AI every day for work, according to the report from telecom provider TollFreeForwarding.com, which analysed Google search data to shed light on the most searched for AI-related tasks.

The top three most searched for AI tasks include CV building (40.5k monthly search volume, email generating (18.1k monthly search volume) and cover letter generating (12.1k monthly search volume).

Lest any IT leader think that their organisations’ employees are mainly using AI to acquire a new position, the report also revealed other non-job-seeking use cases:

The report also had other findings. Thirty-four percent of workers who used AI daily said they were more satisfied with their careers.

Ninety percent said AI saved them time. Eighty-five percent said that AI helped them focus on more important tasks, and 83% said AI made them enjoy work more.

“It’s evident that workers are increasingly integrating AI into their daily routines to streamline tasks like data analysis, communication and content creation. They see AI as a powerful tool to boost productivity and focus more on high-value strategic work.

“As employees embrace these technologies, it’s clear that the demand for smarter workflows is growing. It’s now up to businesses to keep up and support this shift by providing the right tools and training,” said Jason O’Brien, COO at TollFreeForwarding.com.

Another recent report from security firm Mindgard showed shadow AI as a growing concern among IT professionals. Ironically, the same report also revealed that cybersecurity professionals were among the majority of AI tool users in the workplace.

On MES Computing’s podcast, Ready.Set.Midmarket! Mindgard co-founder and CEO Peter Garraghan weighed in on some of the risks associated with shadow AI in the most recent episode.

“I’m asking [AI] things like, ‘Hey, take this email that I’ve used my account login to and actually summarise it for me if need be.’ That can be problematic for lots of reasons, because you’re giving information to a model that [IT] has no control over,” Garraghan said.

He also mentioned how unregulated employee use of AI could negatively impact the supply chain.

“Let’s say I’m the midmarket, so I’m a big company. I have a third-party vendor, which I’ve been using for maybe a couple of years now, they’re pretty useful. And they so happen to update their team in terms of service or just push an update telling me there’s now an AI inside their software, which I have no visibility upon,” he said.

“I have vendors using AI without actually notifying me or it’s being pushed, the update, without actually having visibility about it,” he added.

This article originally appeared on Computing’s sister site MES Computing.