Greater use of AI by workers will reduce stress, say IT leaders

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will allow employees to reduce manual repetitive tasks, focus on more meaningful work, survey finds

John Tallon, M365 productivity and adoption, Azure application innovation and Azure data and AI practice director with Storm Technology.

A growing number of IT leaders believe that the increased use of AI by staff will reduce stress levels in the workplace.

A survey by Storm Technology has found that 68% of IT leaders believe the use of AI by staff reduces stress levels.

Meanwhile, some 66% think AI would allow employees to reduce manual repetitive tasks and focus on more meaningful work, with 57% revealing employees are optimistic about the potential impact of AI on their day-to-day routine.

“AI is creating a predicament for people and businesses,” said John Tallon, M365 productivity and adoption, Azure application innovation and Azure data and AI practice director with Storm Technology.  

“On the one hand, it is seen as a means of reducing workload stresses, supporting creativity, and productivity. However, on the other hand, there is reluctance to adopt AI, stemming from a gap in understanding and the necessary skills required.

“Businesses will need to bridge this knowledge gap to capitalise on the benefits of AI. Empowering people will drive the biggest impact across the whole business.” 

Storm Technology is a Microsoft business technology consultancy with over 30 years of experience driving client success through digital transformation.

Storm Technology’s survey — involving 200 IT decision-makers and leaders across Ireland and the UK, (100 respondents per market) — found that 60% think AI will help reduce burnout in their organisation, with almost three quarters (72%) of respondents of the opinion that AI would help employees to achieve a better work life balance.

Showing the influence of AI and the current level of uptake across businesses in Ireland, some 69% of IT leaders in this market would prefer to work for a company that is more advanced in terms of AI adoption.

The research found that 70% of respondents in Ireland are in organisations which already permit the use of AI and 68% are using the technology to assist with their own work. In fact, over half (51%) use AI on a daily basis for work purposes and only 2% never use it at all.

However, the research found that barriers remain when it comes to AI adoption, the most cited one being a lack of understanding within the wider organisation about potential applications or benefits – selected by 31% of all respondents.

Backing this up, almost three quarters (73%) of IT leaders agree that user adoption is a concern when it comes to AI implementation. Furthermore, almost a third (30%) do not believe senior management in their organisation understand the potential of AI.

The other top barriers to AI adoption were the management of data, privacy and security (28%), lack of trust in AI (27%), employee resistance (27%), and a lack of AI skills in the organisation (27%). 

John Tallon said: “On the topic of AI skills, 40% of IT leaders do not believe their team currently has the technical skills or knowledge to implement or adopt AI. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, 70% think employees expect to receive AI training and enablement.” 

 Founded in 1995, Storm Technology is a Microsoft business technology consultancy. Its team of technology experts and business consultants advise clients on businesses on digital transformation.

Storm Technology has offices in Dublin, Galway and Belfast. It is a part of Littlefish, an award-winning managed IT and cyber services provider.

Littlefish delivers 24/7 service to 100,000+ users globally, for a variety of organisations, across the private and public sectors, including National Gas, ASOS, DHU Healthcare, and NHS Professionals.