Transforming Productivity and Collaboration: AI for Work

According to research from Slack Workforce Lab, desk workers spend, on average, 41% of their time on low-value, repetitive tasks — leading to wasted time, missed revenue, and sometimes even unhappy customers. 

But with AI tools on the rise, teams are finding smarter ways to work faster and achieve better results. In fact, the research shows that one in four desk workers have already used AI, and about 80% say it’s made them more productive.

By using AI and automation for less critical tasks, employees can focus on the meaningful work that really matters. Beyond saving time, AI can boost collaboration, help teams make smarter decisions, and improve knowledge sharing.

Understanding AI in the workplace

In its early days, there was speculation that AI might eventually automate jobs requiring repetitive or reproducible actions, such as filing papers or working on an assembly line. In the 1990s and 2000s, when computing power advanced and machine learning (ML) emerged, AI evolved beyond those expectations.

AI took an enormous leap forward around 2006 when deep learning took off and algorithms began handling large datasets. Deep learning, which is a subset of ML that processes data using artificial neural networks, led to generative AI — technology that can understand and answer questions and generate content.

AI continues to evolve and revolutionize our lives, especially in the workplace. Some examples of AI tools in the workplace include:

• Workflow automation. Automating routine administrative tasks like scheduling meetings, generating social media posts, and sending emails allows teams to focus on more strategic work.
• Data analysis and summarization. AI can analyze large amounts of data for trends and insights, providing summaries and action items that improve decision-making and boost productivity.
• Conversational chatbots. AI assistants can support customer service teams by responding to common customer queries, resolving issues, and providing personalized recommendations 24/7.
• Knowledge surfacing. AI-powered search tools help teams find and share information quickly. Citations provide source information for teams to assess accuracy and edit as necessary.

These tools have also transformed how teams communicate, collaborate, and share information, often resulting in greater efficiency and lower costs for companies.

Key benefits of integrating AI at work

Despite its known benefits, not everyone understands how to use AI to its full potential. AI tools can enable teams to work smarter and faster — but only when organizations apply them effectively.

A Gartner study found that, despite these available tools, 47% of desk workers still struggle to find the information and data needed to perform their jobs effectively. Furthermore, 36% report missing or overlooking important updates because of the many applications they use and the volume of information they produce. The study found that, on average, desk workers now use 11 applications, up from just six in 2019.

When companies try to address every issue by adopting a new application, workers may struggle to find information quickly and maintain focus due to constant context-switching. By integrating AI tools with your third-party apps or adopting a central AI-powered work operating system, like Slack, combining app integration with AI capabilities, organizations can save time, reduce program-switching fatigue, and increase overall efficiency.

Benefits of AI integration include:

• Increased efficiency and productivity. AI and automation tools can handle many routine, yet time-consuming activities, enabling team members to focus on more complex and meaningful tasks. This can improve productivity and create more opportunities for strategic thinking while boosting employee happiness.
• Enhanced decision-making. AI can often help teams make faster, smarter, data-backed decisions by considering patterns, trends, customer behavior, market dynamics, and other key insights. Manually analyzing large datasets is time-consuming and prone to human error and oversight. Using AI helps speed up the process and leads to more accurate outcomes.
• Product and services innovation. Applying AI to product and service development can increase efficiency. From predicting market demand and recommending new product features to manufacturing new products, incorporating AI can help teams implement innovative solutions and go to market faster.
• Cost reductions. AI and automation can help companies reduce their operational costs. For example, automating processes can save time, decrease labor expenses, and minimize errors and downtime. AI can help identify process inefficiencies, forecast demand, and recommend optimizations for resource allocation.
• Personalized customer experiences. By using customer and third-party data, AI empowers teams to personalize every customer interaction. When your marketing outreach and customer service responses consistently align with your customer’s preferences and behaviors, you build loyalty and trust.

 

Practical applications of AI for work

Implementing AI in your organization can revolutionize how your teams work and boost your profitability. No matter your industry or company size, AI tools can improve decision-making and make project management and team communication more efficient.

Here are some practical applications of Slack AI in the workplace:

Task automation

Automation tools can handle repetitive tasks like data entry, scheduling meetings, and responding to customer questions. For example, a global mobility company used Slack’s Workflow Builder to automate ticket reporting and boost efficiency. When a team member creates a software problem ticket, the automated workflow sends them an acknowledgement notification so they can see when their request reaches the appropriate team.

Enhanced search

AI-powered search tools can help you make smarter decisions faster. For example, Slack AI can sift through data, project channels, files, and knowledge bases to find answers to specific questions much faster than manual searches. A COO at a healthy frozen desserts company said that Slack AI recaps help her quickly find answers and key information to make informed decisions.

An operations manager at a bike manufacturing company uses AI search to surface information and context. Slack AI can interpret basic phrases, sparing him the need to search using exact keywords or file names. He can simply type what he’s looking for into the search bar and get clear, concise answers complete with helpful citations about where they came from.

Optimized project management

AI that integrates with your work OS and third-party apps can support project management in many ways, including data analysis, task automation, and meeting summarization.

Project leads at one information services company typically manage 15 to 20 projects a day. To keep up with client requests and team feedback, and to keep project management on track, they use AI-powered workflows. 

AI can also analyze past project data to estimate costs, create and optimize project schedules, and allocate resources. Predictive analytics help project managers forecast future trends and events, using historical data to calculate potential scenarios that inform strategic project decisions.

Conversation recaps

AI summarization tools can assist teams in quickly getting up to speed. They can summarize chats, channels, and meetings, which helps anyone who joins a project midstream, misses a meeting, returns from vacation, or needs a refresher. AI note-taking is especially useful so teams can stay present during meetings and presentations. AI can even record notes during meetings and provide attendees with summaries and action items post-meeting to clarify key points.

A product owner at an HR provider struggled to keep pace — until he began using AI summaries to reclaim his time and catch up on important information.

Top AI tool features to look for

AI business tools have the power to supercharge your organization’s operations. Your AI tools should integrate with the platforms and apps you depend on, making them even more helpful.

Here are some key features of Slack AI:

• Search. Slack AI can provide clear, concise answers based on previous conversations, no matter how long or detailed. Get quick and helpful answers, along with a source link to find more context if needed. With Slack, you can also search across any of your connected apps.
• Conversation summaries. If you need more time in your day, conversation summaries can help you catch up or prepare quickly. With instant channel and thread summarization, as well as AI-powered note-taking, it’s easier to stay engaged at work.
• Workflow builder. AI tools let you use natural language and prompts to create easy workflows that automate everyday tasks, processes, and routine work. Type a prompt, then drag and drop to set up a regular workflow. With Slack, you can also set up workflows for the other apps you use.
• AI assistants. For customer support and client-facing teams, conversational AI agents bring customer relationship management (CRM) data directly into your work operating system. You can interact with an AI agent just as you would with a teammate, asking questions and giving instructions, allowing you to act on information faster.

 

Overcoming challenges when implementing AI at work

Some organizations are still hesitant to adopt AI. A global survey from the Workforce Lab at Slack found that two-thirds of desk workers haven’t yet tried AI tools, and 93% said they don’t find AI outputs completely trustworthy for work-related tasks. This suggests that organizations may need to invest in comprehensive AI training for employees to buy in fully.

Company guidelines regarding AI

The global survey found nearly two in five desk workers reported that their company lacks guidelines for gen AI use. Creating these may be the key to accelerating AI adoption, as companies with formalized AI guidelines are nearly six times more likely to have desk workers who have experimented with AI tools.

“The data indicates that failing to provide guidance or instruction on AI may be inhibiting your employees from giving it a try,” said Christina Janzer, Senior Vice President of Research and Analytics at Slack and Head of Slack’s Workforce Lab. “If you’re looking to ready your workforce for the AI revolution, you can start by providing guidelines for how AI can be used at work.”

Data security and privacy

The Slack survey also indicated that more than two in five executives have data security and privacy concerns about using AI for work. Many companies handle sensitive customer data, particularly in finance, tech, and healthcare, making it crucial to research your chosen AI solution’s security standards and protocols before implementation.

Slack AI tools were developed with a commitment to data ownership, security, and privacy. Customer data remains within the Slack infrastructure and is not used to train large language models (LLMs). Data stays with users and is never rented or sold. In addition, Slack AI only works with data that a member can already access and meets enterprise-grade security and compliance requirements.

AI output accuracy and reliability

Slack’s Workforce Lab research found that 36% of executives cite gen AI’s reliability and accuracy as one of their top concerns. It’s important to understand this before implementing it in the workplace.

Here are some key considerations:

• Relevancy: Ensure your AI technology is trained on data relevant to your industry and compliance requirements. For example, if you use gen AI for legal purposes, the system should only generate high-quality outputs that are relevant to legal departments and users.
• Verification: Generative AI occasionally produces inaccuracies, so its insights and suggestions should be considered supplementary resources — not a substitute for human knowledge. Outputs should be thoroughly reviewed for accuracy and context since AI cannot grasp nuances. Citations can help AI users verify information.
• Hallucination: The tendency of LLMs to generate inaccurate or unexpected outputs is called a hallucination. Users can try redrafting prompts with alternative language for better results in such instances. Cross-verifying information is another way to troubleshoot.
• Oversight: Without the proper controls and oversight, GenAI can negatively impact businesses. Administrators should establish permissions to regulate who can access AI-generated content and outline rules around the types of outputs permitted. Controlling these user and system actions helps protect enterprise security and build trust.

Lack of AI expertise

Executives and employees may worry about their own understanding of AI and how best to apply it in the workplace. This is why it’s essential for companies to provide training to employees prior to implementation and to offer ongoing support.

Slack, for example, took a microlearning approach to educate its employees about AI. A small group spent 10 minutes each day learning how to use AI tools for three weeks. The groups used a Slack channel moderated by trainers, who encouraged them to share their experiences with the tools. Group members could then showcase creative AI use cases to a wider audience of supportive peers.

Participants reported increased confidence, enjoyment, and productivity in using AI at work. In fact, there was an 87% increase in participants who saw AI tools as beneficial to their productivity. While only 43% of participants were comfortable using AI before the training, 72% were afterward. The daily use of AI also increased from 19% to 48%, while weekly use increased from 24% to 72%.

The future of work with AI

Slack Workforce Lab research showed that most desk workers (73%) think the excitement around AI is warranted and expect the tech to significantly impact their working lives. Interest in AI is even higher among the youngest workers entering the workplace. Fifty-five percent of 18 to 29-year-old workers are excited about AI and automation handling parts of their work, while only 33% of workers over 60 report the same. The feeling is even more evident among workers with firsthand experience using AI tools.

AI and other emerging technologies are projected to change industries massively. Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management reported that we may overestimate gen AI’s benefits in the short term, but that its long-term impact may be profound.

Technology, software, and the internet are currently experiencing the biggest impacts from gen AI. While the effects may take time to appear, advancements in AI are expected to impact various industries worldwide, including:

• Energy and infrastructure. Data center growth, essential for AI and gen AI services, is driving increased energy demand.
• Electrical solutions. Liquid cooling for data centers will also see an uptick in demand.
• Healthcare. More AI applications, such as in medical imaging, will help identify anomalies and lead to faster and more precise diagnoses.
• Wealth management. Gen AI tools will enhance productivity by streamlining tasks like advice documentation and client communication.

Workplaces can prepare for AI-driven changes now by training their workforce to understand and use AI.

Using AI tools at work for better business outcomes

Integrating AI in the workplace can help streamline operations, increase efficiency, enhance decision-making, and personalize the customer experience. It can benefit workers by automating administrative tasks, analyzing and summarizing data, surfacing information quickly, and optimizing project management.

Despite some executives’ concerns regarding security, accuracy, and privacy, companies embracing these tools can improve trust in the technology. Slack has built data ownership, security, and privacy safeguards into its AI tools and aims to promote transparency around AI use. As AI continues to evolve, its presence in workplaces is just beginning, with significant implications for various industries worldwide.

Learn how Slack AI can help companies save time and work smarter.