Discovering the future of work and collaboration at the AI Research Summit
The recent AI Research Summit at Asana's New York headquarters brought together leading experts to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on work processes and collaboration. With the event wrapped up, we’ve got insights into cutting-edge AI developments and research methodologies. Here are some of the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of work in the age of AI.
What went down at the AI Research Summit?
The AI Research Summit featured a lineup of distinguished speakers, each bringing unique insights into AI in the workplace. From ethical considerations to practical applications, the talks covered a wide range of topics shaping the future of work.
Responsible AI by Marisa Zalabak, Digital Economist
Marisa Zalabak, a leading AI ethicist, delivered a compelling talk on the ethical challenges in AI research. She stressed the importance of addressing issues such as bias, fairness, and safety in AI development.
Her talk showcased the need to move beyond the myths and misconceptions about AI. It’s necessary to establish operational definitions and robust frameworks to guide responsible AI research and implementation.
Marisa emphasized the need for a holistic approach to AI ethics. It’s important to consider not only the technical aspects but also the societal implications. She highlighted the need for transparency in AI systems and the need for ongoing ethical assessments as AI technologies evolve.
AI in the workplace by Rebecca Hinds, Asana
Rebecca Hinds, Head of Asana's Work Innovation Lab, unveiled groundbreaking research on the state of AI adoption in the workplace. Her presentation, based on Asana's "State of AI at Work 2024" report, outlined five stages of AI maturity: AI Skepticism, AI Activation, AI Experimentation, AI Scaling, and AI Maturity.
While 52% of knowledge workers now use generative AI weekly—a 44% surge in adoption over the past nine months—only 7% of employees say their companies have reached AI maturity. The gap between adoption and maturity presents both challenges and opportunities for organizations looking to use AI effectively.
Asana's research also revealed interesting trends as companies progress through the stages of AI maturity. Employee skepticism decreases, and the importance of tool interpretability increases. Notably, workers who view AI as a teammate rather than just a tool are 33% more likely to report productivity gains. In fact, 69% of workers using generative AI report overall productivity improvements.
Human data vs. synthetic data by Dan Reich, Remesh
Dan Reich, CTO of Remesh, explored the concept of representative intelligence and iterative approaches to generative AI development. His presentation highlighted the potential for AI to augment human capabilities rather than replace them.
The most successful AI features will be those that are trustworthy, provide tangible value, and offer something unique, according to Dan. It's about AI and humans working together more than it is AI versus humans.
Dan looked into the complexities of using human data versus synthetic data in AI development. He discussed the benefits and challenges of each approach, emphasizing the need for a balanced strategy that uses the strengths of both human-generated and synthetic data.
Responsible AI application by Sonam Jindal, Partnerships on AI
Sonam Jindal of Partnership on AI brought attention to an often-overlooked aspect of AI development—the human workers behind the data. Jindal presented five guidelines for improving conditions for data enrichment workers:
- Guarantee living wages
- Provide clear instructions
- Establish regular communication
- Design and run pilot projects
- Identify appropriate workers for specific tasks
The quality of AI models depends on the quality of data, which in turn depends on the well-being of data workers. Sonam believes we can't ignore the human element in our pursuit of technological advancement.
Sonam’s talk highlighted the importance of ethical practices in data collection and annotation, ensuring that the foundation of AI systems is built on fair and responsible principles.
Cognizant's Synapse Initiative by Zoe Donnenfield, Cognizant
Zoe Donnenfield from Cognizant shed light on the Synapse Initiative, an ambitious project aimed at equipping over a million people with cutting-edge technology skills by 2026. As AI transforms the job market, there’s a need to make sure workers are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.
The Synapse Initiative represents a significant effort to address potential skill gaps and see to it that workers are prepared for future job requirements. Zoe discussed the importance of continuous learning and adaptability in the face of rapid technological change.
All in all, the AI Research Summit highlighted key challenges and opportunities in AI adoption. There’s no doubt that the current emphasis is on ethical considerations, workplace integration, and the importance of human-AI collaboration in shaping the future of work.
Asana case study: Digital collaboration
The summit also showcased a compelling case study from Asana that demonstrated Prolific in action. Anna James, Work Innovation Analytics Lead at Asana, presented findings from their recent study on digital collaboration tools.
Using Prolific, Asana was able to quickly recruit a diverse sample of knowledge workers for their research. The study revealed that workers spend an average of 84 minutes daily switching between various digital tools, highlighting significant inefficiencies in current tech stacks.
“I've played around with a lot of market research tools specifically,” Anna noted. “Prolific has elevated my experience. It elevated the quality of the research that we can conduct in a shorter amount of time.”
The research also found that nearly three-quarters of respondents preferred standardized collaboration tools across their organizations. Insights like this were made possible by Prolific's research capabilities that helped drive Asana's strategy for future product development.
Based on the research with Prolific, Asana is now exploring ways to limit communication tools to just two, plus email, as a key to optimizing productivity.
AI research with Prolific
We understand the unique challenges of AI research. Our platform offers pre-vetted participant pools and advanced screening tools, so researchers can access diverse, high-quality data efficiently.
Prolific's AI research offering includes:
- Access to a global pool of over 200,000 participants.
- Advanced demographic targeting and screening capabilities.
- Rapid participant recruitment, often within hours.
- Built-in quality control measures to ensure data integrity.
- Integration with popular data collection tools.
These features enable researchers to conduct studies on AI usability, ethical implications, and user acceptance with unprecedented speed and accuracy.
Contact our sales team to learn more about how Prolific can support your AI research projects and help you achieve high-quality results.
Looking ahead
The AI Research Summit brought together diverse perspectives on AI's role in shaping the future of work. Attendees left with a sense of excitement and responsibility, recognizing both the potential and challenges of AI in the workplace.
