ShareAI is such a pillar in our lives that we don’t even think about when to use it, because the answer is: always. Microsoft, a frontier in AI engineering and the developer of Microsoft 365 Copilot, a chatbot that can code and solve problems, ran its annual survey. The 2026 Work Trend Index survey is based on data from 20,000 people across 10 countries, along with trillions of anonymised Microsoft 365 productivity signals.
With the idea in mind that AI and agents can expand human potential at work while decreasing cognitive effort, the survey tried to answer one question: how do we use AI exactly?
How do we use AI at work?
According to the survey, employees use AI to lift the ceiling of what they can do, meanwhile leaders decide what humans and AI do, hence shifting the workplace entirely. It’s not only about marketers asking “propose 10 new slogans for me”: 49% of workers use AI to analyse, process and understand new information, make decisions and solve problems.
Only 19% answered that they use it mainly to communicate with supervisors or peers or interpret info for others. 17% already produce outputs, such as documents, while 15% use it to gather information. What used to be Google is a chatbot now. Furthermore, 66% of users said that thanks to AI they spend more time on high-value work.
What does this mean in a work setting? It might mean that the “dead internet” theory came alive: more people copy-paste the received email from their colleagues into Copilot and ask it to respond. Then that colleague does the same thing. It also means that 58% say they’re producing work they couldn’t have a year ago.
Juniors are not necessarily juniors anymore, as they have a 24/7 available professional system to help them out. The learning curve is shorter as they can access every piece of information and are capable of doing work they shouldn’t yet be capable of.
What are the four modes of working with AI?
We can establish four modes of working with AI according to the results.
Delegation:
- Turning raw data and notes into structured data
- Pulling, formatting and reporting
Collaboration:
- Refining a proposal or document through multiple rounds of feedback and prompts
- Writing a communication where the tone or framing needs to be adjusted through multiple rounds of feedback
Asking:
- Looking up facts, dates or definitions
- Reformatting a table or figure
- Rewriting sentences, checking grammar
Exploration:
- Probing what agents can do autonomously
- Trying different prompt strategies
- Testing whether Copilot can handle new workflows
These modes shows how we think about AI: a companion that supports our work and allows us to focus our cognitive energy on more important tasks.
But if this is all done by AI, what do humans do?
Agents are now used in every industry, but the pattern of adoption varies widely. Software and technology are frontiers, but banking, manufacturing, healthcare, media and even nonprofit firms have adopted some form of agent.
New studies emerge frequently showing that leaning on these tools might negatively affect creativity, problem-solving skills, attention span, memory and critical thinking specifically. We are prone to believe that everything an AI chatbot says must be true. We are convinced that because it gathers information from all around the globe, more information means more accuracy, hence it doesn’t make mistakes.
The most important question is: are companies ready to support employees in using AI and agents in the best way possible, without allowing them to lose their creativity and problem-solving skills? Or: can we learn how to use AI fairly but not over rely on it?
The opportunity is there for every leader and organisation: building a place where agents increase what people can do, where human judgment stays at the center of the work that matters, and where we all have the agency to decide what comes next.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260505-how-to-use-ai-without-turning-your-brain-to-mush
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/11/is-ai-dulling-our-minds/