
A Cisco study shows that people around the world are ready to work alongside virtual teammates. In fact, adding a virtual teammate just might make workers happier.
We surveyed workers in 10 countries.1 We wanted to know how people feel about advanced technologies in the workplace. This comes on the heels of our recent announcement of Cisco Spark Assistant, the world's first enterprise-ready voice assistant for meetings; read more about that here.
Key themes and findings
The 52-question survey produced lots of intriguing data points. For instance, 94 percent said they dread meetings, yet 45 percent of innovators said they spend more than half the day in meetings. Clearly, anything we can do to make meetings more enjoyable will be a game changer.
Four primary themes predominated. They are:
We are optimistic. Most people think that technology advances will lead to more jobs, not mass unemployment. Plus they think that machines will free us from boring tasks and give us more time to focus on the bigger picture.
Supporting findings:
Almost all workers (95 percent) said they believe AI can improve work tasks such as scheduling meetings, taking notes, or typing documents and emails.
Six in 10 workers expressed optimism, saying they believe technology advances will lead to more jobs.
When asked how a virtual assistant would benefit their team, more than half said it would increase productivity (57 percent) and focus (51 percent).
We are OK with machines being part of the team. Bots as co-workers? Bring it on. Across the board, people indicated they are OK with machines being part of the team.
Supporting findings:
Six in 10 people said they want AI to do drudge work such as scheduling meetings and taking notes. Perhaps surprisingly, 39 percent of people who said they don't trust AI indicated they would gladly hand over their least favorite tasks to AI.
More than half the people we surveyed said they have a human assistant at work; 82 percent of them said they would be more productive if they also had a virtual assistant. When asked how satisfied they were at work, half the people with human assistants said they were very satisfied. Only 32 percent of those with no human assistants said they were very satisfied. This suggests that giving workers virtual assistants could boost job satisfaction and even happiness.
We described a scenario in which a bot would attend a meeting, discern the topics discussed, and offer its analysis. Nine in 10 people expressed interest in or excitement about the idea. Very few said they were terrified or not interested.
We asked how they would feel if the next time you walk into your office, your computer recognizes you, knows that you have a call starting soon, asks you: Would you like me to join you to your call now?' and then takes the action (assuming you say yes). Fewer than 1 in 10 described it as creepy or disturbing. The rest chose terms such as productive, cool, smart, savvy, or awesome.
Eight in 10 people said they want bots to take an active role in conference calls by learning to tell the difference between a barking dog and the presenter and then removing noise.
Sixty-two percent of all workers expect talking to virtual assistants will eventually fully replace typing; 3 in 10 expect we'll toss the keyboards in the next five years.
Personality, age, and even interest in the iPhone X and Star Trek fandom influence AI opinions. Factors that influence how you feel about having machines as teammates include your age, your Meyers-Briggs type, and even how much you love Captain Kirk.
Supporting findings:
Seven in 10 people who said they are trusting and enjoy new things (extraverts) thought advanced technology will create more jobs than it eliminates. Fifty-four percent of those who said they are cautious and crave routine (introverts) thought AI would result in mass unemployment.
Nearly 10 percent of introverts think AI is disturbing versus just 5 percent of extraverts.
Star Trek and Star Wars fans are more excited about advanced technologies than nonfans; 78 percent of fans said they are super excited about the possibility AI could help them perform better at work, compared with 68 percent of nonfans.
Desire for a virtual assistant was highest among those who said they would buy the iPhone X as soon as it went on sale (67 percent vs. 35 percent those who are in no rush to buy the new iPhone X).
Data privacy matters. Despite the excitement, people have concerns.
Supporting findings:
Sixty-five percent of survey respondents said security was a key concern for them.
People who said they would not use Google Assistant or Alexa at work cited data privacy and security concerns as the top two reasons (42 percent of responders).
Like the people who responded to this survey, I am optimistic about the prospects that AI will make our work lives better, said Rowan Trollope, SVP and GM, Applications Group, Cisco. Working in an AI-enhanced company means we'll have more opportunity to succeed, and more flexibility to do the work we find rewarding.
Additional Resources
Read Rowan Trollope's blog post, Team AI is Not Personal AI.
Read Rowan Trollope's blog post, The Five Levels of Meeting AI.
Read more about the survey in this white paper.
1 We surveyed 2,270 white-collar workers in the United States, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, India, and China.
# # #
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) powers the world's Internet experiences. We securely connect people, processes, data and things to enable innovation that benefits business and society. For more information, visit: http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Ciscos trademarks can be foun
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...