Three-quarters of US companies will automate some work by 2026

Despite increasing concern over the potential impact of AI in the workplace and beyond, many organizations appear poised to advance artificial intelligence in the coming years.

Over the next three years, nearly three-quarters of US-based companies expect to automate at least some of their work, according to the WTW Dynamics of Work Survey, up from 65% in 2023 and 51% before the Covid-19 pandemic. Evidence has been mounting that AI can save time and money on a wide range of tasks, while business leaders have been increasingly considering layoffs and other cost-cutting measures amid an uncertain economy.

The survey, conducted in February and March 2023, was derived from 720 respondents in multiple countries, with 264 from North America. It found that organizations that are taking steps to automate expect around 27% of their work to be automated in three years, up from 14% in 2019.

Among the companies preparing for greater use of digital and automated technology, “39% are redesigning jobs or roles to reallocate work between employees, nonemployees and new technologies; another 19% are planning to do so this year,” according to a statement from WTW.

Businesses surveyed anticipate the downstream impact of these changes will result in increased outsourcing and reskilling current employees. Around 28% of US respondents are expecting to use “alternative talent sources” (such as contractors, freelancers, or talent in new markets), and 39% of the total respondents report that they’re “redesigning the employee experience to align with new work and career models.”—AK