I was reading a piece in the Wall Street Journal recently about the "AI revolution" in the workplace
The headline was telling: CEOs think AI is making everyone hyper-efficient, while employees are sitting there wondering where all this "extra time" is supposed to be coming from
It’s a classic disconnect
According to a survey by the firm Section, about 40% of executives claim AI is saving them more than eight hours a week. That’s a full working day
But when you look at the people actually doing the work? Two-thirds say they’re saving less than two hours. Many say they're saving zero
Why the gap?
It comes down to how the tools are being used
If you're a CEO, you're likely using AI to summarize a long report or draft a quick email
It’s a high-level win
But if you’re a UX designer or a coder, you’re dealing with the "hallucinations." You’re spending more time fact-checking and fixing the AI’s mistakes than it would have taken you to just do the job yourself
My view?
We see this all the time in digital transformation. Leadership buys the "dream" of the tool, but they forget about the "process" of the people
AI isn't a magic wand you wave over a business to make it faster. If your team is spending their day "babysitting" an algorithm, you haven't gained efficiency, you’ve just changed the nature of the struggle
True digital leadership isn't about the software you buy; it's about understanding how that software actually impacts the workflow of your human talent
Until the C-suite realizes that AI currently creates as much "work" as it "saves," that efficiency gap is only going to get wider
Business leaders’ faith in the productivity-boosting powers of AI is getting a reality check—from their own workforces. Employees say AI isn’t saving them much time in their daily work so far, and many report feeling overwhelmed by how to incorporate it into their jobs. Companies, meanwhile, are spending vast amounts on artificial intelligence, betting that the technology’s power to speed everything from sales to back-office functions will usher in a new era of efficiency and profit growth.
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