New Work Trend Index Reveals a Dramatic Surge of AI Use in the Global Workplace 

Bennett Oghifo 

Recent data provides key insights around the impact of AI on work for Nigerian organisations looking to grow their AI advantage.

Use of generative AI in the global workplace almost doubled over the first six months of the year, according to the 2024 Work Trend Index. 

The report, recently released by Microsoft and LinkedIn shows how, just one year in, AI is influencing the way people work, lead and hire and provides essential insights for Nigerian business leaders who are increasingly investing in AI. 

The breakthroughs in AI of the past year have created much speculation about the potential for widespread transformation in Africa. In Nigeria, Generative AI is starting to make its mark on the country’s economy, particularly within the financial technology (fintech) sector. Research indicates that around 29 percent of Nigerian fintech companies have adopted generative AI for content creation. 

The market for artificial intelligence in Nigeria is projected to reach US$1.05bn in 2024 and continue growing at a significant rate, while 90 percent of  Nigerian companies are likely to adopt AI technologies. This growth highlights the increasing reliance on AI-driven solutions to enhance efficiency and innovation within various industries. In Nigeria, Generative AI is starting to make its mark on the country’s economy, particularly within the financial technology (fintech) sector. Research indicates that around 29 percent of Nigerian fintech companies have adopted generative AI for content creation.

However, though many organisations in Nigeria are investing in technology like automation, AI readiness across the region remains a challenge, particularly in areas such as strategy and skills development. 

“Our latest research reveals that Nigerian businesses are not alone in the challenge to move from experimentation to tangible business impact where AI is concerned. In fact, the Work Trend Index shows that though employees are increasingly bringing AI tools to work, many leaders are worried their company lacks an AI vision. It reveals a clear opportunity for organisations to look at AI adoption more holistically and drive more impactful business outcomes,” says Ola Williams, Country Manager for Microsoft Nigeria.  

The Work Trend Index report is based on a survey of 31,000 people across 31 countries, labour and hiring trends on LinkedIn, trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, and research with Fortune 500 customers. It highlights three insights every leader and professional needs to know about AI’s impact on work and the labour market in the year ahead:

Employees want AI at work — and won’t wait for companies to catch up: Seventy-five percent of knowledge workers globally now use AI at work. Employees, many of them struggling to keep up with the pace and volume of work, say AI saves time, boosts creativity, and allows them to focus on their most important work. In fact, past studies conducted among professionals in Africa have shown how important technology like automation is to employee retention. But although 79 percent of leaders across the world agree AI adoption is critical to remain competitive, 59 percent worry about quantifying the productivity gains of AI and 60 percent say their company lacks a vision and plan to implement it. So, according to the Work Trend Index, employees are taking things into their own hands. Around 78 percent of AI users are bringing their own tools to work — Bring Your Own AI (BYOAI) — missing out on the benefits that come from strategic AI use at scale and putting company data at risk. The opportunity for every leader is to channel this momentum into business impact at scale.

For employees, AI raises the bar and breaks the career ceiling: Although AI and job loss are top of mind for many, the data offers a more nuanced view — one with a hidden talent shortage, employees eyeing a career change, and massive opportunity for those willing to skill up on AI. A majority of leaders globally (55 percent) are concerned about having enough talent to fill roles this year with leaders in cybersecurity, engineering and creative design feeling the pinch most. This challenge is further exacerbated in countries across Africa where the skills gap is significantly higher than the worldwide average. In Nigeria’s technology sector the skills gap is a substantial challenge, ongoing efforts to improve education and training will help bridge this gap. Interestingly though, professionals across the globe are skilling up on their own. As of late last year, we’ve seen a 142x increase in LinkedIn members adding AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles and a 160 percent increase in nontechnical professionals using LinkedIn Learning courses to build their AI aptitude. In a world where AI mentions in LinkedIn job posts drive a 17 percent bump in application growth, it’s a two-way street: Organisations that empower employees with AI tools and training will attract the best talent, and professionals who skill up will have the edge.

The rise of the AI power user — and what they reveal about the future: Four types of AI users emerged in the research — from sceptics who rarely use AI to power users who use it extensively. Compared to sceptics, AI power users have reoriented their workdays in fundamental ways, reimagining business processes and saving over 30 minutes per day. Over 90 percent of power users say AI makes their overwhelming workload more manageable and their work more enjoyable, but they aren’t doing it on their own. These users are 61 percent more likely to have heard from their CEO on the importance of using generative AI at work, 53 percent more likely to receive encouragement from leadership to consider how AI can transform their function, and 35 percent more likely to receive tailored AI training for their specific role or function.

“AI is poised to unlock formidable growth prospects for businesses across the country and employees are eager to embrace the technology and enhance their work with its capabilities. However, the key to future business success ultimately rests with company leaders who must begin formally introducing initiatives aimed at upskilling their workforce. We must empower people to use AI effectively and responsibly, and in so doing ensure our businesses are reaping the full rewards of the AI revolution,” says Williams.

Microsoft also recently announced Copilot for Microsoft 365 innovations to help people get started with AI. 

A new auto-complete feature is coming to the prompt box. Copilot will now help people who have the start of a prompt by offering to complete it, suggesting a more detailed prompt based on what is being typed, to deliver a stronger result.

When people know what they want, but don’t have the right words, the new rewrite feature in Copilot will turn a basic prompt into a rich one with the click of a button.

Catch Up is a new chat interface that surfaces personal insights based on recent activity and provides responsive recommendations. For example, Copilot will flag an upcoming meeting and provide relevant information to help participants prepare.

And new capabilities in Copilot Lab will enable people to create, publish and manage prompts tailored to them, and to their specific team, role and function.

These features will be available in the coming months.

LinkedIn is also providing AI tools to enable you to stay ahead in your career.

For upskilling. LinkedIn Learning offers more than 22,000 courses, including more than 600 AI courses, to build aptitude in generative AI, empower your teams to make GAI-powered business investments, or simply to keep your skills sharp. This includes over 50 new AI learning courses to empower professionals at all skill levels. New courses are free and available for everyone to use through July 8. Additionally, our new AI-Powered Coaching in LinkedIn Learning helps learners find the content they need to grow their skills faster, with greater personalisation and guided conversational learning.

For career advancement. For LinkedIn Premium subscribers, AI-powered personalised takeaways on LinkedIn Feed on posts, articles or videos (from the article to the commentary) can also help you daily in your career with personalised, relevant insights and opportunities including ideas and actions you can take.

For job seeking. And if you’re looking to change your job, we’re also making it easier and faster to find your ideal job. With new AI-powered tools, you can now assess your fit for a role in seconds based on your experience and skills, get advice on how to stand out, and subscribers will also see nudges, for example suggestions for skills to build, professionals in your network to reach out to, and more. So far, more than 90 percent of subscribers who have access shared it’s been helpful in job search.

To learn more, visit the Official Microsoft Blog, the 2024 Work Trend Index Report, and head to LinkedIn to hear more from the company’s Chief Economist, Karin Kimbrough.