AI promises to unleash creativity and productivity by lifting the weight of work

By Microsoft News Center 18 May, 2023

The pace of work is outpacing human's ability to keep up, impacting innovation and strategic thinking, according to a new study by Microsoft. The findings from the 2023 Australian Work Trend Index report: "Will AI fix Work?" revealed 68% of Australian workers struggle to have enough time and energy to get their work done, while two-thirds of Australian leaders say they are concerned about a lack of innovation or breakthrough ideas.

"In a world where creativity is the new productivity, the amount of time we spend in meetings, managing emails, and chats is more than just an inconvenience. It significantly impacts the results of businesses," said Jane Mackarell, Microsoft ANZ's Modern Work and Surface Business Group Director.

"There's an enormous opportunity for AI-powered tools to help lift the weight of work and not only empower employees with greater productivity but bring them back to what I call ‘the soul of work’ – work that is more fulfilling, creative, and impactful. When we free the mind, we give ourselves the space to think strategically, and as a result, feel more fulfilled in our work."

The report shares three key insights for business leaders as they look to understand and responsibly adopt AI for their organisation:

"It's fascinating to see that while there is still fear around AI potentially eliminating jobs, people are actually more excited about AI rescuing them from burnout," said Mackarell.

Other findings of the global report show:

To empower businesses in the AI era, Microsoft is also introducing the Microsoft 365 Copilot Early Access Program with an initial wave of 600 enterprise customers worldwide in an invitation-only paid preview program. In addition, new capabilities will be added to Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Viva.

"Next-generation AI will lift the weight of work, and organisations that move first to embrace it will increase creativity and productivity for everyone. Microsoft 365 Copilot was launched earlier this year, bringing powerful new generative AI capabilities to apps people use every day like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Teams and more," said Jane.

The 2023 report derived results from an external study of 31,000 people in 31 countries, including 1,000 Australians across multiple industries. The report unearthed key insights business leaders should consider as they look to understand and responsibly adopt AI for their organisation.

To help every customer get AI-ready, Microsoft is also introducing the Semantic Index for Copilot, a new capability starting to roll out to all Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 customers. To learn more, visit the Official Microsoft Blog, Microsoft 365 Blog and the new Work Trend Index.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Andrea Acton, Senior Communications Manager, Microsoft Australia

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: 0429 460 327

Christine Galasinao, Herd MSL

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: 0429 460 327