Employees lead the charge in AI curiosity

New research suggests employee-sought AI tools are producing the most productivity.

Employee-led innovation may be the key to effective AI adoption.

Data from a new Google Workplace survey has found that Australian workers are shaping how artificial intelligence is adopted in their workplaces – reporting up to a 25 per cent potential automation of “busy work” and an extra 2.5 hours for problem solving, strategic decision making, and collaboration.

Workers are reportedly taking an experimental, hands-on approach to AI, and letting curiosity fuel the search for relevant and advanced AI tools that offer speed, quality, and autonomy. More than half of the 1,000 surveyed knowledge workers were happy to bypass official policy to do so.

“What this survey really tells us is that curiosity is contagious,” said Google Workspace APAC director Haydn Sallmann.

“When one person finds a better way to work, they can’t help but share it. Culturally smart organisations don’t fight this; they fuel it.”

And this organic, employee-first method “helps those good ideas spread much faster”.

The organisations that work with employees to introduce tried-and-tested apps and tools will likely have a more successful deployment and a happier team. Not only will engagement be higher, but the tools will also be more effectively harnessed, and time will be more available for higher-value, strategic work.

Addressing “tab fatigue” – the mental toll of switching between disconnected tools – requires embedding AI contextually, thereby “removing that friction and giving them headspace to focus on what matters”, according to Xero managing director ANZ and global chief strategy officer Angad Soin.

He said: “It’s not just about efficiency – nearly 90 per cent of our team is reinvesting that saved time into high-impact problem-solving activities.”

Knowing when to actively be involved and when to step back and trust the worker is crucial for a modern workplace leader. Employees need adaptability from employers as adoption accelerates, while also providing protective governance.

And the numbers are moving in this direction: 79 per cent of workers report that their organisation supports exploration with AI tools, and roughly 60 per cent cite office AI usage policies in their workplace.

Something else to be aware of is generational differences, with older workers needing more hands-on support as opposed to those with more organic digital literacy. Gen Z and Millennials, on the other hand, are more likely to feel that AI has increased their professional confidence, and they are significantly more likely to learn from social media and experiment beyond approved tools.

It’s no surprise the report labelled Gen Z and Millennials today’s “AI evangelists”. It is heartening to see that nearly half of the survey workers regularly share AI tips or hacks with coworkers, another organic practice that should be encouraged in today’s uncertain times.

And with 74 per cent reporting that the most effective way to learn AI is to use the tools themselves, the argument for an employee-led AI operation is stronger than ever.