Microsoft's Strategy to Convert AI Skeptics into Power Users

As the world of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, it is increasingly becoming a vital tool in both personal and professional settings. The 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report by Microsoft revealed that three-quarters of knowledge workers are already utilizing AI at work, with usage doubling over the past six months. 
 
During VB Transform, Colette Stallbaumer, WorkLab Cofounder and Copilot GM at Microsoft, spoke about how organizations can effectively integrate AI into their operations to create value for both businesses and employees. She emphasized the importance of activating enthusiasm across all levels of an organization and encouraged experimentation as well as the identification of AI champions within teams. 
 
Microsoft has been actively seeking customer feedback since launching its product, Copilot. This has led to several enhancements, such as workplace-specific prompts, function-specific prompts, and auto-complete features for prompt-writing processes, among others. Customers also now have the ability to schedule prompts according to their preferred times. 
 
The challenge, however, lies in getting people to change behavior, says Stallbaumer: "We've learned along the way that one of the hardest things for people to do is change behavior. We are asking people to both create new habits and break old ones." 
 
Measuring productivity gains from using generative AI tools remains a complex task due to the to the largely varied industry benchmarks. Initially focusing on time savings across universal tasks like email management or information search yielded evidence showing these tools saving anywhere between 20% and 40% of knowledge workers's time. However, customers demanded more than just time-saving efficiencies; they sought transformational changes based on real business value metrics. 
 
Stallbaumer explains this shift in approach: "In 2024, we pivoted our goal towards understanding business problems best suited for resolution through AI." 
 
She gives examples drawn from Microsoft’s own experiences where applying Copilot led agents to resolve cases faster by 12%, resulting in happier clients while requiring less intervention from peers. For finance teams dealing with accounting and treasury, tasks that consumed hours could be completed in about 10 minutes. 
 
Stallbaumer believes the future of work will see a shift from human-powered tasks to AI-powered ones, with humans taking on more supervisory roles. She emphasizes the importance of training to change long-held habits and prepare for an AI-driven future. Research shows only 39% of those using AI have received any form of training, while just a quarter plan to offer it in the coming year. 
 
Microsoft is currently conducting internal experiments aimed at understanding effective training interventions. They are also working towards converting skeptics into power users by continuously improving their tools based on feedback. 
 
The Work Trend Index Annual Report found that power users who embrace experimentation feel more productive due to AI, enjoy their work more, and manage their workload better. These individuals are also likely to understand the importance of using AI within their functions since they've heard about it from line leaders. 
 
Quoting William Gibson, Stallbaumer summarizes: "The future's already here; it's just not evenly distributed." This sentiment reflects Microsoft’s own journey as functions within the organization transform significantly through the application of AI.