- A report reveals that 74% of regular AI users now ask questions of AI rather than their human colleagues.
- New Workers Lack Social Interactions Vital to Company Culture
- Employees report feeling more empowered and more comfortable making decisions
While it’s still unclear whether AI could replace human workers or seriously impact their businesses by automating much 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 about three in four (74%) regular AI users now ask the questions they once would have asked their AI colleagues.
As a result, around half (48%) now report fewer spontaneous conversations during the workday, suggesting the effect may extend beyond the deliberate redirection of questions to AI, with AI now having a more profound impact on the social elements of work.
Return to office (RTO) mandates now face a complex paradox
Although the report doesn’t cover it explicitly, the data presents some interesting perspectives on modern work habits.
Post-pandemic layoffs and work-from-home mandates were quickly followed by urgent return-to-office mandates, with CEOs around the world encouraging in-person work due to the collaborative nature of shared environments and the opportunities to have one-off conversations that spark learning and broader thinking.
While about half now say it doesn’t happen that frequently, the findings raise the question of whether commuting might be so necessary after all in the age of AI.
About two in five employees (38%) also noted that new hires now have fewer natural opportunities to build relationships, as common questions are redirected to AI and not human colleagues.
“Repeated throughout a work week, these missing exchanges can mean fewer opportunities to build trust, share judgment, and promote themselves within a team,” wrote Sarah Meyer, managing director of MyIQ.
About half (53%) of respondents also described their work as more transactional since AI adoption, marking a major shift in workplace dynamics.
AI may be more effective, but it’s still lacking in some areas
But despite its negative social implications, AI’s role in brainstorming, questioning and critical thinking could also be seen as positive. For example, almost two-thirds (62%) say they feel more comfortable making decisions independently than a year ago, and almost three-quarters (71%) feel more empowered at work.
The report also warns that while a chatbot can provide an immediate and often factually correct response, it lacks the social insights and organizational knowledge that a colleague would bring to the table.
Interestingly, a similar study from SurveyMonkey found that 77% of respondents want more brainstorming opportunities with colleagues and 61% want stronger connections between teams, even as workers increasingly settle for the first answer generated by AI, instead of digging deeper.
Together, these two reports imply that workers are increasingly seeking the efficiency promised by AI and are willing to ask questions to get a quicker response, but they still value the collaborative nature of human interactions in the workplace.
What is less clear is how employers could implement these opposing forces into a single, unified workforce, while still providing the hybrid approach that workers now enjoy by working from home and enjoying the benefits of going to the office.
“As AI makes solitary problem solving easier, organizations may need to pay more attention to forms of workplace learning and social connections that efficiency alone cannot capture,” the MyIQ study concludes.
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