​​New Research Identifies 5 Types of People Defining the AI-Powered Future of Work

From the Maximalist to the Rebel, Slack’s Workforce Lab findings and interactive quiz offer a roadmap for employers to help onboard workers to “The AI Team” 

Slack’s new Workforce Lab research explores what motivates workers to use AI and how they feel about using it at work. Through in-depth interviews and a survey of 5,000 full-time desk workers, the research uncovered five distinct AI personas that employers need to understand as they implement AI and bring workers onboard “The AI Team” — a workplace where humans and AI agents work successfully side-by-side:

• 🥰 The Maximalist (30%): Maximalists are using AI multiple times a week to improve their work and are shouting from the rooftops about it.
• 🤫 The Underground (20%): Undergrounds are Maximalists in disguise, using AI often but hesitant to share with their colleagues that they are doing so.
• 😎 The Rebel (19%): Rebels don’t subscribe to the AI hype. They avoid using AI and consider it unfair when coworkers engage with these tools.
• 🤩 The Superfan (16%): Superfans are excited and admire the advances made in AI, but aren’t yet making the most use out of it at work.
• 🧐 The Observer (16%): Observers have yet to integrate AI into their work. They are watching with interest and caution.

Salesforce perspective: “The AI-powered future of work isn’t just about enterprises, it’s also about employees — and it’s redefining everything from careers to workplace culture. But to realize the promise of AI, companies need to make AI work for workers and bring everyone onboard The AI Team,” said Christina Janzer, SVP of Research and Analytics at Slack, a Salesforce company.

But to realize the promise of AI, companies need to make AI work for workers and bring everyone onboard The AI Team.

Christina Janzer, SVP of Research and Analytics, Slack

Why it matters: Leader urgency to implement AI has grown 7x since the beginning of the year, but more than two-thirds of workers have yet to use the technology at work. There’s a real risk if that trend continues: Companies and employees alike can miss out on tangible benefits by not adopting AI. In addition to improving efficiencies, AI can elevate the employee experience — from overall performance and productivity to wellbeing. And Slack’s new research shows that onboarding employees onto AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.

Dive deeper into each AI persona: The findings also show a mix of emotions and perspectives regarding AI, depending on which category of user they fall into.

• The Maximalist
  • 65% reveal their use of AI at work and actively encourage others to use it
  • Their #1 motivation to use AI at work is to produce higher quality work
  • Nearly half say the use of AI is actively encouraged at their company, regardless of having guidelines for use (or not)
• The Underground
  • 55% use AI at least a couple of times a week
  • 74% don’t actively share about their use or encourage others to use AI 
  • 43% say their company doesn’t encourage the use of AI at work
• The Rebel
  • 66% never use AI at work
  • 58% believe AI is mostly a threat to society
  • 39% say it’s unfair if coworkers use AI to complete their tasks
• The Superfan 
  • 72% use AI less than once a month
  • 76% admire coworkers who apply AI to their work in creative ways
• The Observer 
  • 66% feel indifferent about AI in the workplace
  • One-third are interested in learning or further developing AI skills

Which AI persona are you? Take the quiz to find out!

“As leaders, it’s important that we tailor our approach and help set every employee up for success in the AI-powered workplace. These personas create a powerful roadmap for leaders to understand where their employees are in their AI journey and help them unlock AI’s benefits,” continued Janzer.

“Workers across industries must learn how to work with AI or risk getting left behind,” said Lori Castillo Martinez, EVP of Talent Growth & Development, Salesforce. “At Salesforce, we’re helping our employees identify skill gaps that may prevent them from growing their careers, and bridge those gaps to take full advantage of the AI future.”

More information:

• Read more from Slack’s Workforce Lab on how leaders can drive AI adoption with an AI team-building exercise 
• Learn how Salesforce is using AI to help employees hone their skills and create new career paths with Career Connect
• Learn more about how Salesforce employees are finding efficiencies and saving time with AI 
• Read more about how humans with AI will shape the future of work

Methodology:

The survey included over 5,000 workers in the United States, Australia, India, Singapore, Ireland and the U.K., and was fielded between August 6 and August 14, 2024. The survey was administered by YouGov and did not target Slack or Salesforce employees or customers. Respondents were all desk workers, defined as employed full-time (30 or more hours per week). Due to rounding, not all percentage totals in this research equal 100%. All comparison calculations are made from total numbers (not rounded numbers).