The New AI Advantage: Daily AI-Users Feel More Productive, Effective, and Satisfied at Work

Quick take: 

Slack’s latest Workforce Index shows that AI adoption is surging—and so is its impact. The survey of more than 5,000 global desk workers finds that daily AI use has more than doubled in the past six months, and is now 233% higher than it was in November. Those who use AI every day report 64% higher productivity, 58% better focus, and 81% greater job satisfaction than colleagues who haven’t yet embraced the technology.

Key findings

• AI at work has officially gone mainstream, with 60% of desk workers now using it, including 42% who use it regularly, at least weekly. Daily use is rising fast—the share of workers using AI every day has more than doubled in just six months and is now 233% higher than it was in November 2024.
• AI agents are also gaining traction, with 40% of desk workers having used an AI agent chatbot and 23% having directed an agent to complete work on their behalf. 
• AI implementation has accelerated for most companies. Sixty-one percent of executives say their companies have already implemented generative AI, and 93% will have done so by year’s end, while 52% have implemented AI agents and an additional 38% plan to by the end of the year. 
• Workers are turning to AI to boost productivity and efficiency, and daily users are seeing the greatest returns. Those who use AI daily are 64% more likely to report very good productivity, 58% more likely to report very good focus, and 81% more likely to report very good job satisfaction, compared to colleagues who don’t use AI.
• Workers are using AI to “vibecode”—or flex outside of their area of expertise. Most AI users (96%) have used AI to perform tasks that they couldn’t have otherwise done themselves, and 30% cite this as a top reason for their increased productivity.

Unlocking the real-world power of AI at work

After much hype and speculation, the real benefits of AI at work are finally coming into focus. In its latest Workforce Index survey of 5,000 desk workers around the globe, Slack’s Workforce Lab found that employees who integrate AI into their daily workflows are gaining a true competitive edge.

AI use has surged into the majority: between November of 2024 and April of 2025, usage rose from 36% to 60% of desk workers, with 42% relying on it regularly—at least weekly. Daily use is rising fast—the share of workers using AI every day has more than doubled in just six months and is now 233% higher than it was in November 2024. Similarly, excitement to offload tasks to AI has increased 29% (from 41% to 53%). AI agents are picking up momentum as well, with 40% of desk workers having used an AI agent-powered chatbot and 23% saying they’ve assigned tasks to an agent to complete on their behalf.

At the company level, most organizations are well along in their AI implementation. Sixty one percent of executives say their companies have adopted generative AI, and 93% expect to have it in place by the end of the year. AI agents are following a similar path, with just over half (52%) of executives saying their companies are already using them and another 38% planning to roll them out this year. 

The top reasons workers use AI are to boost productivity and efficiency, and daily users are seeing the greatest benefit. Those who use AI daily are 64% more likely to report very good productivity, 58% more likely to report very good focus, and 81% more likely to report very good job satisfaction  compared to colleagues who don’t use AI. They’re also 68% more likely to report very good work-life balance and 59% more likely to report very good ability to manage work-related stress. 

“The promise of AI is becoming reality,” says Denise Dresser, CEO of Slack. “Those who use AI every day are gaining a measurable edge—they’re more productive, less stressed, and more fulfilled. This isn’t just efficiency; it’s a transformation in how work gets done and how people feel about their jobs.”

Unpacking the AI advantage: from speeding up work to stretching into new skills

AI is often touted as a time-saving tool—and it is—but for daily users, the benefits go far beyond that. Power-users aren’t just using AI to work faster or to tackle their most tedious tasks—they’re using it to enhance the deep work they care about the most. 

Top ways AI makes daily-users more productive

1. Provides quick access to information, eliminating the need for extensive research
2. Assists with writing and communication, saving time and effort
3. Helps me brainstorm ideas and overcome creativity block
4. Automates repetitive or mundane tasks, freeing up time for more complex work
5. Provides real-time feedback, helping me improve performance on the spot
6. Integrates different tools, automating data flow and streamlining my workflow
7. Enables me to work outside of my expertise, reducing reliance on colleagues
8. Decreases need to attend meetings live, freeing up more of my time

JT Garnett, an account executive at Salesforce, is finding real value in Agentforce as a fast, reliable account planning partner. He uses it to quickly understand a customer’s world and speak their language. “It pulls in data on what their industry does, what their challenges are, how they make money, and what their headwinds are,” he says. “Sales Agent hits those things in a paragraph, so I can ask the right questions from day one.”

Most AI users (96%) have used AI to “vibecode”—or perform tasks that they couldn’t have otherwise done themselves, and 30% (including 38% of daily active users) cite this as a top reason for their increased productivity, saying it’s decreased their reliance on colleagues for specialized support. 

The concept of vibecoding originated with using AI tools to code, relying on conversational prompts instead of formal training in a programming language. But the data shows it’s evolving into something broader, with workers across functions applying this AI-aided “feel it out” approach to all kinds of specialized tasks. Need to analyze a spreadsheet, generate a performance report, or mock up a draft design? AI is helping people get going without having to call in an expert. 

“The other day, I needed design help to create a graphic for a public-facing presentation,” says Lucas Puente, head of the Workforce Lab and VP of Research at Slack. “In the past, I would have had to put in a request to my design team, but instead AI gave me what I needed in seconds. It was pretty simple, but it was also really empowering to be able to do this all on my own. So it’s really cool to see many other workers using AI in similar ways, to flex out of their comfort zone across all kinds of tasks that used to require technical or niche expertise.”

Move Over Gen Z: Millennials are leading the AI charge

Three in five desk workers use AI at least occasionally, two in five use it weekly, and one in five use it on a daily basis. The research shows that the most value comes from frequent use—especially for those who’ve integrated AI into their daily routines.

“Interestingly, we see from the data that using AI every once in a while isn’t enough to move the needle in terms of benefit,” says Puente. “Casual users (those using AI less than once a week) show little to no difference in outcomes from non-users. Weekly users see gains, but the biggest impact comes from integrating AI tools into your daily workflow—that’s when people start reporting markedly better focus, higher productivity, more job satisfaction, and less stress.”

So who’s leading the AI charge? Perhaps surprisingly, it’s Millennials. Among desk workers, those aged 28 to 43 are the most likely to use AI daily (33%), edging out even Gen Z (28%).  AI power-users also skew male (24% of men vs. 18% of women), and tend to sit higher on the org chart—with daily use reported by 43% of executives, 35% of senior managers, 23% of middle managers, and 10% of individual contributors. While the momentum at the leadership level is encouraging, it also points to a big opportunity: expanding access, training, and support so that everyone, across roles and demographics, can tap into the benefits of AI at work.

“Adoption is picking up speed and it’s exciting to see power-users demonstrate just how transformative AI can be,” says Ruth Hickin, VP of Workforce Innovation at Salesforce. “With thoughtful enablement, we can bring that impact to every corner of the business.”

Larger companies are leading the way in AI adoption: 30% of desk workers at organizations with over 1,000 employees use AI daily, compared to 22% at midsize companies and just 14% at small businesses. A key reason? Bigger companies are 44% more likely to have AI guidelines in place, demonstrating the importance of clear permission, education, and training in driving adoption.

Take action: guidance for leaders

💡Don’t just allow AI—encourage it.

Previous Workforce Index surveys show that uncertainty around AI norms holds people back. In the latest data, 29% of desk workers say their company hasn’t issued any formal guidance, and half (50%) say AI use isn’t explicitly encouraged. That matters: workers at companies that actively promote AI use are nearly three times more likely to become power-users.

“While some norms can emerge spontaneously, others are created with intention,” says Elizabeth Gerber, professor of mechanical engineering and co-founder of the Center for Human Computer Interaction + Design at Northwestern University. “Leaders can try to intentionally persuade others to adopt a norm by explaining the desirability of the behavior and outlining expectations.”

Nico Cormier is Chief Technology Officer at reMarkable, where leaders have made AI enablement a priority.  “At reMarkable, AI isn’t just allowed—it’s encouraged. When teams feel supported to try new tools and experiment, they’re quicker to find ways AI can help them work smarter. It’s not about replacing the human touch, it’s about empowering people to focus on their best work.”

💡Seeing is believing 

Trust has historically been a barrier to adoption, especially around newer tools like AI agents. But the data shows that familiarity breeds confidence. Daily users are more than twice as likely to express high levels of trust in AI agents across everything from data protection to accuracy to decision-making, demonstrating that hands-on experience is one of the most effective trust-builders.

Julien Scotté is head of the transformation office within cloud services at Worldline, a global payment service provider based in Europe that has been embedding AI agents into Slack. At Worldline, building trust in these tools has been a deliberate, structured process. “We’ve built a full governance layer around AI, including oversight of our LLMs, hallucination control, and data privacy,” Scotté explains. “Our models are not exposed to the public web and are fed only based on trusted internal sources.”

To further build confidence, Worldline uses feedback loops to fine-tune performance over time. “Each time an agent responds, we ask users to rate the accuracy of the answer. That data is logged and used to improve the experience continuously,” he says. “We’ve found that trust grows as the tools become more useful and reliable in everyday workflows.”

Forecasting the AI future: Three predictions for leaders

🔮 Prediction: AI won’t reduce hiring—it will reshape it.

Despite concerns about AI-driven job loss, the data shows most executives aren’t slowing down on hiring—they’re redirecting it. The roles are evolving, not disappearing. According to our survey, 53% of executives plan to hire more technical talent, 58% expect to expand entry-level hiring, and 61% say they’ll add AI-specific positions. One of the top strategies for preparing for the agentic age? Embedding AI specialists directly into teams.

“When the personal computer became a household item in the 1990s, word processing skills became an entry level skill on every resume,” says Elizabeth Gerber. “AI skills will be the new entry level skill. Two years ago, few college students were interested in developing AI skills, but now every student I meet asks me what they need to know.”

🔮 Prediction: Companies that frame AI agents as a supporting player, not a takeover, will come out ahead

As agentic AI enters the workplace, 84% of executives agree it will require a major shift in how they manage their teams. But there’s little consensus on how agents will actually be used. Desk workers, on the other hand, are clearer in their expectations: they want AI as a collaborative partner, not a digital replacement. A third (33%) prefer agents that enhance their work, while only 13% favor full automation. This suggests that companies that position AI agents as a support system—not a substitute—are more likely to earn trust, boost adoption, and unlock real value.

Rémi Flament leads engineering at Wahi, a Canadian real estate startup. When Wahi introduced a suite of AI agents inside Slack to support their network of realtors, the goal wasn’t to replace human roles—it was to enhance them. “We still need realtors in the field to meet with leads, show properties, and give advice,” Flament explains. “The AI agent just gives them more time to do their actual job. The agents replace the routine stuff, the repetitive, error-prone tasks like updating client records and providing real-time market insights. That frees up time for realtors to focus on client relationships and closing the deal.”

🔮 Prediction: AI will strengthen workplace connection, not weaken it

While some have worried that AI might isolate workers or reduce human interaction, the data tells a different story. Daily AI users are more than twice as likely as less frequent users to say AI helps them feel connected to colleagues, and they report a 62% higher sense of belonging at work compared to non-users. Among Gen Z, half (50%) say AI hasn’t changed how often they ask questions or collaborate with teammates, while another 29% say it’s actually increased their engagement. Far from replacing collaboration, AI is emerging as a catalyst for it—especially when integrated thoughtfully.

That’s exactly what Haley Gault, a Senior Account Executive at Salesforce, has experienced firsthand since incorporating AI into her daily workflow. “Agentforce lets me focus on what really moves the needle—deepening relationships, anticipating customer needs, and closing deals faster,” Gault explains. “By offloading the repetitive work, I can bring more empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking into every interaction.”

🚀 Ready to turn insight into impact? Join our webinar Unlocking the Real-World Power of AI at Work to hear from the researchers behind this study and learn how to apply these findings to your own organization.

Methodology

The survey included 5,156 workers in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. and was fielded between April 9, 2025 and May 1, 2025.

The survey was administered by Qualtrics and did not target Slack or Salesforce employees or customers. Respondents were all desk workers, defined as employed full-time (30 or more hours per week) and either having one of the roles listed below or saying they “work with data, analyze information or think creatively”: executive management (e.g. president/partner, CEO, CFO, C-suite), senior management (e.g. executive VP, senior VP), middle management (e.g. department/group manager, VP), junior management (e.g. manager, team leader), senior staff (i.e. non-management), skilled office worker (e.g. analyst, graphic designer).