How are leaders using generative A.I.?

A report by the newly launched Upwork Research Institute found that 62 percent of leaders were using generative A.I. for research, while smaller percentages relied on the cutting-edge technology for everything from writing to coding. Here’s the chart:

These leaders also felt that generative A.I. would have the biggest impact on their technology/IT departments, followed by (in descending order of magnitude) marketing, customer support, operations, and HR. (The data was drawn from 1,940 survey participants, with 23 percent of them in C-suite roles.)

Whatever your feelings on leaders using generative A.I. for research, given how those platforms can’t fact-check their own output, it’s clear that organizations everywhere want their employees to learn about the nuances of the technology. Online learning platform Udemy reported a 5,226 percent increase in ChatGPT-related learning in the first quarter of 2023, and generalized A.I.-related skills learning on Udemy Business has risen by 60 percent year-over-year, according to its 2024 Learning & Skills Trend Report. 

For most tech pros, generative A.I. might factor heavily into their software-development workflows. According to consulting firm McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2023 report, generative A.I. will result in a new generation of no- and low-code tools, along with automated QA and code review.

“By 2026, Gartner predicts that 80 percent of low- and no-code tool users will sit outside of traditional IT organizations,” the report added. “A.I.-enabled tools can also enhance the productivity of traditional developers by automating routine tasks and suggesting solutions to problems. Our research shows that developers report time savings of 35 to 45 percent in code generation and 20 to 30 percent in code refactoring.”

That could make tech pros far more productive—and potentially open up a new generation of “citizen developers” who can build software without extensive knowledge of coding. But will it impact jobs?