Artificial intelligence is now embedded in the daily routines of many business professionals, with almost all AI users reaching for these tools at least weekly and a significant majority making use of AI every day, according to a new research study by TrustRadius. The findings highlight the widespread integration of AI in the workplace and its growing importance in software purchase decisions.
Workplace adoption
TrustRadius' survey of its business buyer community reveals that 95% of respondents who use AI at work do so weekly, and 69% employ it every day. The use of AI varies by age and job function. While 86% of Gen Z employees report daily use, finance and accounting professionals are least likely to rely on AI, in contrast to technical roles in engineering and product development where daily adoption is higher.
Tool preferences
ChatGPT leads as the most frequently used AI tool, with 79% of workplace AI users reporting regular use. Other large language models, such as Gemini-with a 46% usage rate-are also popular. Enterprise employees, defined as those working in organisations of over 1,000 staff, show a tendency towards using Microsoft's Copilot and Perplexity, suggesting a trend towards more specialised or integrated platforms at larger firms.
The data indicates that on average, a professional uses three different AI tools in their daily work. This rises to 3.6 tools for Gen Z respondents and drops to 2.3 tools among baby boomers, demonstrating generational differences in the adoption rate and breadth of use.
Usage patterns
Professionals are taking advantage of free AI tools to test solutions before committing to any paid products. The study reports that 75% of surveyed workers use software with added AI features. Of those, only 9% do not engage with such AI-powered functions. Common uses for AI at work include research (46%), writing (43%), general productivity (20%), coding (20%), and content creation (19%). Other applications range from ideation and troubleshooting to automating business processes and summarising information.
Business motivations
The drive to adopt AI is largely attributed to goals around efficiency (86%), innovation (57%), and saving time or reducing costs (49%). A notable development is that almost one-third (32%) of businesses represented in the survey are investing in the development of their own AI tools, a figure which climbs to 54% in enterprise organisations, highlighting a trend towards proprietary solutions as companies seek a competitive edge.
Policy development
With AI's increasing use, internal governance policies are also becoming standard. Over half of respondents (51%) report their employer has established guidelines around AI use, with this number jumping to 72% in large organisations.
AI in purchasing
The impact of AI extends to software buying practices. Nearly half of all surveyed buyers (45%) and a majority of enterprise buyers (51%) use AI tools during the purchasing process for new software. Early research and short-list creation are now commonly driven by AI recommendations, with 94% finding these tools helpful or very helpful. C-suite executives and Gen Z employees show higher adoption rates for AI in buying decisions, indicating its influence at both senior and junior levels.
Vendor visibility
The shift towards AI-assisted purchasing means that software vendors must consider their visibility in large language models. User-generated content is increasingly used for fact-checking AI outputs, according to TrustRadius' data, underlining the importance of reputation and customer feedback in digital channels.
Market outlook
"While AI is seemingly everywhere these days, we wanted to go beyond the surface-level trends and take a deeper dive into the real-world data to uncover what's truly driving the AI Age," said Allyson Havener, Vice President of Corporate and Customer Marketing, TrustRadius.
