From decreased operating costs to employee engagement, AI is on the verge of "a major transformation" in the workplace
Like the plot out of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic thriller, AI is, unsurprisingly, emerging as a driving force behind increased productivity, efficiency, and innovation for all industries and organizations. If you were to ask several experts what the future of AI looks in the workplace, they would likely say it’s on the brink of a “major transformation.”
This is certainly the belief Christopher O’Sullivan shares. The chief information officer for BFL CANADA, believes the “AI revolution” is akin to the impact of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the internet. He envisions a future where AI will become ubiquitous in the workplace, leading to "pervasive automation" and "augmented intelligence." He also foresees the emergence of AI agents that can negotiate transactions and handle routine tasks on behalf of employees, freeing them up to focus on more strategic, value-adding work.
“In my opinion, the AI revolution is going to be even bigger than the Industrial Revolution and the rise of internet,” says O’Sullivan. “Within existing businesses, there is so much potential that’s impacting growth, impacting profitability and impacting the way organizations manage their risk and how they engage talent who are critical to the organizations.”
O’Sullivan also believes there’s significant opportunity around new business models that will inevitably get created. As he says, “new ecosystems are going to form, many of which we can’t even predict at this point because everything is evolving so quickly.”
Over the last several years, industries across all sectors have been quick to welcome AI with open arms. Recent surveys, like Thomson Reuters’ 2024 Future of Professionals report, found that of those surveyed, 77 per cent of professionals believe AI will have a high or transformational impact on their work over the next five years. Additionally, 78 per cent said AI is a "force for good" in their profession, while 37 per cent of respondents haven't yet used GenAI in their work.
In the same survey, 79 per cent of professionals predict significant or moderate improvement in innovation within their companies over the next five years. Over that same period, they anticipate 56 per cent of work will utilize new AI-powered technology.
The capabilities behind AI have released so quickly, O’Sullivan says, that AI-powered tools, such as Microsoft's Copilot and Google's office suite, are being integrated into everyday productivity tasks, leading to significant time savings. O’Sullivan points to AI-generated meeting notes that can free up employees from the tedious task of manual notetaking, allowing them to focus on more value-added activities.
Some workplaces might not even realize they’re using such tools. A recent BDC study found that initially, only 39 per cent of surveyed entrepreneurs believed they were using AI. However, when they were presented with a list of AI-powered tools, this number jumped to 66 per cent. Many were unaware of the AI capabilities embedded in their existing tools. The study also found small businesses are using AI to automate repetitive tasks, improve efficiency, and manage operations more effectively.
As a result, 27 per cent of business owners reported a reduction in operating costs, and 22 per cent of businesses reported a reduced need for hiring additional employees. Larger businesses (100-plus employees) have a higher AI adoption rate at 86 per cent compared to smaller businesses at 60 per cent, because of their greater resources and ability to leverage economies of scale.
This is why O’Sullivan asserts that if workplaces aren’t using it, they’re quite frankly, “behind” in the times. “You should be experimenting because what you learn now through those experiments will guide that thought process,” he says. “It takes a couple of days of playing with AI for it to unlock your imagination of where and how far this could go.”
“Although it’s tough to quantify, we are starting to see some benefits,” he notes. “[The meeting notes] is just one example of the small wins. I think that's what you're seeing with AI is it's not immediately the elimination of roles but it's a lot of little wins across your day that that adds up to half an hour a day, or in some cases, an hour a day. And it's just the start,” says O’Sullivan.
Contrary to the common and various fears around AI, including job losses, O'Sullivan believes that the integration of AI can improve employee engagement. While there are tasks and jobs that are largely unskilled and primed for automation and AI to take over, O’Sullivan says that with each industrial revolution, technological innovations and introductions have increased significantly.
“Each new technology has created new opportunities. We have to assess where we’re adding value. Knowing that this is a new reality, we have to ask: how do I add value in a world where AI exists? I think there's going to be tons of opportunity for that,” he says, noting that employees could transition into roles where they add greater value for human relationships or critical thinking.
“When the dust settles, people will realize it’s more about augmented intelligence where these systems are here to help,” he added, comparing it to having a “great partner to work with.”
“I strongly believe that the average employee's workday and their engagement will go up. Because people are going to enjoy the work that they do more and it's going to be more gratifying because the menial tasks will largely be removed from their day.”
The integration of AI in the workplace is not without its challenges, however as O'Sullivan highlights the need for better regulation to keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI technology.
"Regulation hasn't kept up, and it's struggling to keep up. In the next 12 to 24 months, privacy and data protection are always going to be concerns because they're so far behind in what's happening with AI."
