Freshworks Inc. has released the results of its second annual "State of Workplace Technology" study, which found that IT professionals - especially executives and younger generations - are turning to AI to automate workflows and increase efficiency.

AI can save companies time and money

Even though IT departments are expected to grow this year, that doesn't mean they have to spend more money. Freshworks found that companies in the US could save $15,603 per IT employee annually by using AI to save time on repetitive tasks. This means that a company with at least 5,000 employees and an average of 200 IT professionals could save at least 3.1 million dollars annually by using AI.
The survey also revealed that

• IT professionals are managing more software than ever before and see an opportunity to simplify management. The number of software applications on IT teams' work computers has increased by 71% in the last year. Despite this, IT professionals are only using a third of the applications available to them on a daily basis (eight out of 24), compared to half in 2022.
• IT teams prioritize efficiency. Ease of use and efficiency are the most important features of business software, ahead of functionality, reliability and cost efficiency.
• AI saves time that would otherwise be spent on repetitive tasks (49%), allowing more complex, meaningful tasks to be completed (45%). could save more than five hours a week by using AI to complete repetitive tasks.

"I've had a front-row seat to the mobile and cloud revolutions and have seen how both have led to huge efficiency gains that have enabled IT teams to improve performance - without increasing costs," says Dennis Woodside, President of Freshworks.

Senior IT managers are convinced by AI

Senior and executive leaders report greater use and organizational support of AI. Key findings include:

• The use of AI is generally encouraged in the workplace. Seven in ten (70%) IT leaders and above say the use of AI is actively encouraged in their organization, compared to 44% of team leaders/managers and 21% of individual contributors.
• IT managers are significantly involved in the introduction of AI. More than nine in ten (91%) IT leaders and above are currently using AI to support their work, compared to 66% of team leaders/managers and 33% of individual contributors.
• There is a youth AI movement. Younger generations are playing a crucial role in the adoption of AI. Eight in ten (81%) of Millennials and 75% of Gen Z IT professionals are currently using AI to support their work, compared to 57% of Gen X and 27% of Boomers.

"Organizations adopt software for good reasons - to improve their operations - but over time they can face the unintended consequence of accumulating more applications than they need," says Prasad Ramakrishnan, CIO at Freshworks. "Smart, simplified technology, paired with the power of AI, will do more to increase productivity and efficiency than legacy software has done in decades. IT leaders who embrace automation and technological agility to reduce complexity will be the ones whose teams come out on top."

The full "State of Workplace Technology" report can be found at: https://www.freshworks.com/resources/workplace-tech/