Microsoft predicts an AI-focused future for the workplace

The most successful businesses will need to strike a balance — and quickly — between human capabilities and artificial intelligence, according to a new report from Microsoft. 

The tech giant surveyed 31,000 global workers and analyzed data from LinkedIn, Microsoft and other AI startups to visualize what's in store for the future of work. They predict the emergence of a "Frontier Firm": Hybrid teams of humans and AI systems that can complete tasks autonomously, with limited in-person oversight. 

The desire for a more AI-powered workforce stems from an increasing push for greater workplace productivity: Microsoft's report found that 53% of leaders say productivity within their business must increase, and 82% plan to use digital modes of labor to expand their workforce within the next 12-18 months. 

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Currently, just a quarter of organizations are using AI company-wide, leaving plenty of room for growth in this area. Closing knowledge gaps and addressing AI anxiety will be pivotal toward getting buy-in from the top down. 

"Revolutionary changes have happened many times throughout history, and there has been a very clear pattern each and every time — the outcome will almost always eventually be positive," Dimitris Tsingos, co-founder and president of workplace technology vendor Epignosis, previously told EBN. "AI will help us, not replace us. With more AI we'll do our job better and easier in the future, and we'll eventually yield better results."

A gradual transition toward an AI takeover

Microsoft's report predicts a gradual shift toward the Frontier Firm model. To start, employees utilize AI assistants to help them work more efficiently and cut out menial tasks that keep employees distracted. For example, the report found that employees are interrupted every two minutes during the workday — 275 times per day — by meetings, emails or chats during work hours alone. Post-work interruptions have increased 15% year-over-year. 

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Smoothing out workflows could help employees focus on more meaningful tasks, and stay focused on passing off more work to AI agents who would act as "digital colleagues." Eventually, the Frontier Firm work model would entail human-led, agent-operated workflows, where employees program and set the direction for intelligence to run business processes and overall workflow. 

Already, top firms including Accenture, Dow and Wells Fargo are utilizing these modes of work: For example, Wells Fargo built an agent that responds to customer queries, cutting down response time from 10 minutes to 30 seconds. Accenture's agent automated the past-due payment process for the professional services firm.  

Training and investment

Employees are embracing AI, signaling that now is the time for greater investment and training. Forty-seven percent of leaders believe upskilling existing employees will be their top workforce strategy for the next 12–18 months, while 35% plan to hire AI trainers to help implement employee adoption in these tools. 

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Put into practice, AI technologies are already moving the needle on how employees have embraced a new way of working: Microsoft's report found that 30% of respondents felt that AI gets the job done faster and at a higher quality, and 28% feel AI provides them with an endless stream of ideas on-demand. Training, education and effective management strategies will be the key to unlocking the full potential from both human and machine workers. 

"If you have a people problem, you will have an AI problem. As multi-agent systems redefine the

workplace, the challenge will be to integrate and manage them securely and effectively," Amy Webb, CEO of Future Today Strategy Group, said in the report. "Companies that already know how to enable their human workforce will succeed — breaking down silos, fostering collaboration and ensuring the entire organization works toward common goals."