Artificial intelligence is helping employees reclaim valuable work time, but many organisations are failing to convert those gains into meaningful business outcomes, according to Forbes, which highlighted findings from three recent workplace AI studies.
Drawing on research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Employment Hero and Glean's Work AI Institute, Forbes reported that while AI adoption is accelerating, many businesses still lack clear strategies, employee training and governance frameworks needed to maximise the technology's potential.
Time saved, direction missing
BCG's survey of more than 11,000 employees worldwide found that 42% of regular AI users save at least one full working day each week. However, 66% said they receive little or no guidance on how to use the time they save, with more than half failing to redirect that additional capacity towards strategic work.
The findings suggest organisations need to provide clearer direction on how AI-generated productivity gains should support broader business objectives, rather than leaving employees to determine how best to utilise the extra time.
Confidence gap emerges
Employment Hero's, AI Paradox report revealed a significant disconnect between employer perceptions and employee attitudes towards AI.
While 60% of employers believe employees view AI positively, 42% of employees who actively use the technology said it feels like "cheating". The survey, which covered 8,800 respondents across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada, also found that 63% believe AI has created more work through the need to review and verify its outputs.
The findings point to growing demand for AI training and capability-building, particularly as 31% of organisations identified AI skills as the most important attribute for entry-level recruits.
The botsitting burden
Research by Glean's Work AI Institute identified another challenge associated with AI adoption. Its survey of 3,000 digital workers across the US, UK and Australia found employees lose an average of 6.4 hours each week to "botsitting", the process of feeding AI tools with context, checking responses, correcting mistakes and refining outputs.
The report also found that 82% of employees who use AI for more than half of their workload admitted they had submitted AI-generated work that they did not fully understand, had not verified or could not confidently stand behind.
Leadership takes centre stage
Collectively, the three studies suggest organisations cannot rely on a "plug and play" approach to AI implementation. Instead, successful adoption will depend on stronger leadership, structured AI training, regular employee engagement and clear governance around how AI should be integrated into daily workflows.
The research indicates that while AI can deliver substantial productivity gains, organisations are unlikely to realise its full value unless they help employees understand when and how to use the technology effectively. Leaders who combine workforce capability with thoughtful AI implementation are expected to be better positioned to unlock long-term business and employee benefits.