It’s easy to assume that as AI usage increases, so too might everyday independence. But a new report shows that the opposite may actually be true; that “AI power users” — those who use AI tools regularly at work and in their personal lives — are less likely to work alone, and more likely to collaborate and socialize with their coworkers than “late adopters.”
Gensler’s 2026 Global Workplace Survey tackles topics such as AI, the office, workplace wellness, team dynamics and more. It’s an interesting dive with a few surprising stats that reveal just how AI could be making our work more human, not less.
Let’s explore.
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What Does ‘AI Power User’ Mean?
Do you ask ChatGPT or other LLMs questions around the clock? What about on the weekend? If so, you might be an “AI power user,” according to Gensler — someone who uses AI regularly, not just at work, but also in their personal lives. If you use AI infrequently or never, they’d classify you as a “late adopter.” The groups represented 30% and 36% of survey respondents, respectively; the former being more likely to classify their companies as innovative.
AI = Innovation… and?
People who frequently use AI at work being more likely to call their companies innovative isn’t the standout statistic here. That’s been true since the GenAI boom and something you could probably assume to be true anyway without a formal report.
The real stunner is everything else: AI power users are more likely than late adopters to say that:
- They’ve formed meaningful relationships at work (85% vs. 70%).
- They enjoy the company of their team (86% vs. 74%).
- They can rely on their team (85% vs.75%).
- Their coworkers produce quality work (86% vs. 77%).
All of that makes a few more things true, too: Throughout the average workweek, power users spend less time working alone, more time learning and more time socializing.
So what is AI really providing, and what is it taking away?
So, Is AI Actually Removing Anything From Marketing Work?
Yes, AI is taking a few things ‘away’ from marketers, but maybe not what you think.
We recently conducted our own survey of marketing professionals, 81% of which said they use AI at work. A majority of those folks use AI specifically for content creation and its related tasks, including:
- Headline and metadata creation.
- Research and planning.
- Outlining.
- Topic ideation and brainstorming.
Most of these are necessary to any creative process, and certainly necessary for marketing- or content-related creative processes. Still, they’re historically time-consuming and eat away at the time marketers and content creators have to spend on the work itself, and even the work behind the work.
Could it be that, with our AI-adjusted processes, lighter loads and more time on our hands, that we’re turning more toward collaboration, creative problem solving and up-skilling? The data certainly suggests that to be the case.
The Human Skills on Which AI Tools Place More Importance
As AI increasingly handles various aspects of content execution, it seems to be simultaneously placing renewed emphasis on cultivating innate, human skills. AI power users aren’t becoming isolated, according to Gensler — they’re spending more time learning and engaging with others than those who don’t typically bother with the tools.
Marketers have a lot on their plate and have almost always been urged to create more with less, and quickly. But if AI can help lighten that familiar burden via production speed and efficiency boosts, it enables marketers to focus on perhaps what has always been the most important things, but were drowned out by the fast-moving nature of the job: how effectively they can think, connect with others and guide the work.
If that’s the way we’re moving, marketers looking to bring the most value to their teams within their AI-adopting organizations, then, should be able to skillfully:
- Shape a clear strategic direction.
- Translate business goals or other complexities into compelling narratives.
- Facilitate masterful collaboration across writers, designers and other stakeholders.
- Provide sharp, contextual feedback that improves not just the work, but who the work gets done.
In these ways, it makes me view writing and other types of marketing roles a bit differently. Roles, like writing, that may be typically understood as best done in the quiet of a private office or alcove, are becoming more akin to a Hollywood-style writer’s room: A big table in the center where writers brainstorm, bounce ideas, develop them, step away to produce and eventually return to the table to refine the work as a group. Rinse and repeat.
This doesn’t mean that the “step away to produce” portion — the execution — completely vanishes, though. It just means that AI is compressing it in ways that enable us to spend more time at the table talking with teammates, developing direction and strategy. Things like first drafts, outlines and data summaries can come together in minutes, but aligning teams around a message, refining creative and making judgment calls about what actually resonates will still deeply depend on human input.
This also makes me think back to when I was feverishly applying for writing jobs out of college. Sure, many postings mentioned collaboration and strategy, but even more seemed to emphasize an applicant’s ability to work mostly autonomously. I suppose that’s the nature of writing as it’s usually understood: a solitary, output-driven discipline.
But then, earlier in 2026, I wrote: Now Hiring Human Storytellers: Recent Job Postings Demand Narrative Talent. Suddenly, that collaborative, writer’s-room-style environment makes a lot of sense for modern marketing. Around that table is where some of the world’s most compelling and loved stories were built.
To connect back to what Gensler uncovered about how AI power users view their work and professional relationships, perhaps:
- They’ve formed meaningful relationships at work because they collaborate more.
- They enjoy the company of their team because they spend more time working alongside them.
- They feel like they can rely on their team because they understand the strategy and direction behind the work.
- They’re more likely to say that their coworkers produce quality work because they share a stake in it.
Final Thoughts
Just because it appears that AI is increasing collaboration and learning in the office, according to one study, doesn’t mean you should throw out all your processes and pull together every chair available to you around one giant work surface. Quiet spaces for focused work remain the third-most important factor for workers, according to that same study, but areas to collaborate and co-create aren’t far behind.
If AI has enabled some degree of time savings for your organization, why not reinvest that in your teams and their work by enabling more collaboration, sharing and refining ideas, and truly putting quality back above quantity?
