You've got to adapt to AI, even if your company hasn't figured it out yet, workplace guru says

"Many companies investing in AI are "unsure" how it will make them more efficient - but employees should still adapt to the tech or risk falling behind, a workplace guru has said. "So far it looks like AI is a great culprit for job and cost cutting, especially in tech firms," Thomas Roulet, a professor of organizational sociology and leadership at the University of Cambridge, told Business Insider. But the anticipated efficiency gain from AI hasn't "fully materialized," and "many firms betting on AI are unsure how this gain will materialize," Roulet said."

"His comments echoed findings from Bain & Company's annual technology report, released this month. The consultancy wrote that AI was expected to boost productivity, but "most companies haven't unlocked these benefits at scale or seen meaningful gains in cost efficiency or revenue growth," as they "haven't cracked the formula yet." Danish economists tracked 25,000 workers across 7,000 workplaces and found that the widespread adoption of AI chatbots was not affecting earnings or hours worked, per a working paper published in May."

"Others have disagreed. "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary, who owns stakes in scores of small businesses, recently told Business Insider that when it comes to AI, "you actually can see the productivity and measure it on a dollar-by-dollar basis." While ignoring AI poses a "risk of being perceived as lagging," he said, this could lead to "many firms embracing AI in a symbolic and ceremonial manner," he said, when they should be "thinking more deeply" about how they can harness the tech."

Many companies investing in AI remain unsure how the technology will increase efficiency, yet employees are advised to adapt to avoid falling behind. AI has been associated with job and cost cutting, particularly in technology firms, while anticipated productivity gains have not fully appeared for most organizations. A major consultancy found most firms have not unlocked AI benefits at scale or seen meaningful cost or revenue improvements. A large Danish study found AI chatbot adoption did not affect earnings or hours worked, though some investors report measurable productivity. Firms risk symbolic AI adoption instead of strategic implementation, and workers should build learning skills.

Read at Business Insider