At Candor, we’re deeply invested in understanding AI adoption in the workplace—what’s working for people, what challenges are emerging, and how organizations can move from early experimentation to comprehensive business transformation. We are excited to share new insights from our research that highlight the job functions gaining an early AI advantage. A key focus of our study is the significant time savings AI brings to various roles. Let’s delve into the findings.
Our Methodology: As part of our ongoing Candor AI Usage in the Workplace survey, we asked 400 early users of our AI solutions how much time they were saving each day. They had six options to choose from: “I have not noticed any time savings,” “less than 5 minutes a day,” “5–10 minutes,” “11–30 minutes,” “31–60 minutes,” and “more than an hour.” We then segmented the data by job function to analyze the time savings reported by individuals in different roles.
Our Findings: Employees in cybersecurity, product development, and sales/business development reported the most time savings daily, while those in procurement, legal, and supply chain reported the least. Interestingly, just 11 minutes of daily time savings can make AI feel valuable to most people, a crucial insight for fostering AI adoption in the workplace.
AI Saves Time Across Functions: Most business areas are seeing enough time savings to underscore the value of AI. Our researchers propose that two primary factors influence which job functions derive the most benefit from AI:
The Nature of the Work: In these early stages, AI’s value and use cases are more apparent and straightforward in certain functions. For instance, sales teams can leverage AI to quickly prioritize leads and draft outreach emails, freeing them up to build customer relationships. In contrast, legal professionals operate in environments where confidentiality, privacy, and attorney-client privilege are paramount, posing challenges to AI integration.
Industry Realities: Different industries have varying capacities for rapid change. In cybersecurity, embracing new technologies is essential to counter ever-evolving threats. Conversely, supply chain roles may adopt new technologies more cautiously due to the need to integrate diverse vendors and legacy systems.
While these findings can vary by individual, team, and organization, it’s evident that employees are broadly embracing AI, with 75 percent of global knowledge workers currently utilizing it, according to our 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report. To harness this enthusiasm for business transformation, it’s crucial to understand how different functions are using AI to effectively guide your AI rollout across the company.
To discuss how Candor AI can help your business achieve similar results, schedule a call with our team today. Let us partner with you to unlock the full potential of AI in your organization.
