AI usage for workers is skyrocketing – and its actually doing everything it promised

• 96% of workers have filled skills gaps with AI
• Daily users trust AI more – and get more out of it, too
• Workers want AI for brainstorming, research and presentations

According to new research form Salesforce, AI is showing signs of shifting from basic applications like task automation to more powerful outcomes, such as enabling creative and strategic work.

With global use of AI for creative and strategic tasks up 154%, artificial intelligence is now unlocking the full potential of the workforce – almost all (96%) workers have used AI for tasks they lacked the skills for.

Not only has AI usage risen, but the number of people using the tech day in, day out has also surged by 233% in the space of six months, with three in five desktop workers using artificial intelligence.

Workers are seeing the benefits of AI

According to the report, daily AI users report high productivity (+64%), focus (+58%) and job satisfaction (+81%). Those who use artificial intelligence daily are also twice as likely to trust it, with many workers relying on the tech to eliminate research efforts, get help with writing and communication, and support brainstorming.

Nevertheless, some workers remain more open to emerging technologies than others. For example, 30% of Millennials claim strong understanding of AI agents compared with 22% of Gen Z. In fact, more than two-thirds (68%) of Millennials now use AI for strategic tasks like drafting and summarizing.

"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," Research VP Lucas Puente explained.

Salesforce also reports that the higher up the organizational tree you are, the more likely you are to become a user – 43% of execs use AI daily, compared with 35% of senior managers and 23% of middle managers.

Looking ahead, the most requested use cases for AI are brainstorming automation and augmentation (72%), research assistance (80%) and presentation generation (82%).

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