- Report finds that 74% of regular AI users now ask questions to AI instead of human colleagues
- New workers are missing out on social interactions vital to company culture
- Employees say they feel more self-sufficient and comfortable making decisions
While it is not yet known whether AI could replace human workers or severely impact their reach by automating important parts of their workflows, one thing is clear: humans are increasingly happy to use AI as a colleague and collaborator.
A new MyIQ analysis of nearly 22,500 adults found that around three in four (74%) regular AI users now ask the questions they would have previously asked their colleagues.
As a result, around half (48%) now report fewer spontaneous conversations during the workday, suggesting that the effect may extend beyond deliberately redirecting questions to AI, now having a deeper impact on the social elements of work.
Return to Office (RTO) Orders Now Face a Complex Paradox
While the report doesn’t cover it explicitly, the data presents interesting insights into modern work habits.
Post-pandemic layoffs and work-from-home mandates were quickly followed by urgent return-to-the-office mandates, and CEOs around the world encouraged in-person work because of the collaborative nature of shared environments and opportunities to have ad hoc conversations that stimulate learning and broader thinking.
With around half saying this doesn’t happen as often, the findings raise the question of whether commuting to the office might be so necessary in an AI-first era after all.
About two in five (38%) also noted that newer employees now have fewer natural opportunities to build relationships because routine questions are redirected to AI, not human colleagues.
“If repeated throughout a workweek, those missed exchanges can mean fewer opportunities to build trust, share opinions, and make yourself known within a team,” MyIQ CEO Sarah Meyer wrote.
About half (53%) of respondents also described their work as more transactional since adopting AI, marking a major shift in workplace dynamics.
AI may be more efficient, but it is still lacking in certain areas
But despite the negative social implications, AI’s role in brainstorming, questioning and critical thinking could also be seen as positive. For example, nearly two-thirds (62%) say they feel more comfortable making decisions independently than they did a year ago, and nearly three-quarters (71%) feel more self-sufficient at work.
The report also warns that while a chatbot can provide an immediate and often objectively correct response, it lacks the social information and organizational knowledge that a colleague would bring.
Interestingly, a similar study from SurveyMonkey found that 77% want more opportunities to exchange ideas with colleagues and 61% want stronger connections between teams, even though workers are increasingly settling for the first AI-generated answer rather than digging deeper.
Together, these two reports imply that workers are increasingly seeking the efficiency promised by AI and are willing to ask questions for a faster answer, but still value the collaborative nature of human interactions within the workplace.
What’s less clear is how employers could implement these opposing forces into a unified workforce, while also offering the hybrid approach that workers have come to value by working from home and benefiting from going to the office.
“As AI facilitates solo problem-solving, organizations may need to pay more attention to forms of workplace learning and social connection that efficiency alone does not capture,” the MyIQ study concludes.
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