Generation Z teaches more experienced colleagues how to use AI and helps increase productivity and collaboration in companies, research shows

New global study from International Workplace Group (IWG), a global leader in hybrid work solutions and owner of the Regus, Spaces and HQ brands, reveals that Gen Z professionals are playing a key role in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within companies, teaching more experienced colleagues and helping unlock productivity and collaboration gains in hybrid work environments.

The research, based on interviews with more than 2,000 professionals in the United States and the United Kingdom, shows that AI is becoming a central pillar in how teams - especially hybrid 'operate.Eight out of ten workers have tried AI tools, and 78% say they save time, with an average of 55 minutes saved per day, equivalent to nearly an additional full day of productivity per week.

Workers report that this time is being reallocated to higher value-added activities, such as creative or strategic work (41%), learning and development (41%), face-to-face collaboration (40%) and networking (35%). The percentage of those who claim that AI helps them perform tasks more efficiently reaches expressive 86%, while 76% say that the use of technology is accelerating their career advancement 87% among Generation Z professionals.

Intergenerational collaboration: the key to unlocking AI gains

Nearly two-thirds (59%) of young professionals are actively helping colleagues with more experiences adopt and learn to use AI tools.As a result, 80% of senior directors say that this support allows them to focus on higher-value tasks, while 82% report that AI innovations introduced by younger colleagues have opened up new business opportunities.

Two-thirds of C-Level executives say the AI skills of younger employees have improved the productivity of their departments. Additionally, more than 80% of senior directors believe that AI innovations brought by junior colleagues have opened new avenues of growth.

Overall, 86% of respondents say AI has made them more efficient, and 76% believe it is accelerating their career advancement to 87% among Gen Z respondents.

Automation frees up time for higher impact activities

Workers embrace the potential of AI to eliminate time-consuming administrative tasks. The most cited areas in which they want to apply automation include: email writing (43%), meeting registration and summary (42%), file organization (36%), and form filling or data entry (36%).

With these automated tasks, professionals are reallocating time to more meaningful activities. Among respondents, 55% are now dedicated to high-impact projects, 54% to professional development initiatives, and 40% to strengthen relationships with colleagues and customers or invest in personal well-being.

Benefits for hybrid workers

The influence of AI on remote collaboration is also evident: 69% of hybrid workers say it is facilitating teamwork between different locations, with benefits such as better meeting preparation (46%), expanded access to shared information (36%), and greater effectiveness in post-meeting follow-ups (36%). The survey also revealed that 40% of hybrid professionals say AI has freed up time to invest in communication and team-strengthening activities.

Still in the hybrid model, AI is also redefining how office time is used. With automation taking care of routine work, face-to-face days have become dedicated to strategic thinking (41%), learning and development (41%), face-to-face collaboration (40%) and networking (35%). More than half of workers (53%) claim that AI is helping to achieve better results, and 64% believe it is making hybrid work more efficient and effective.

Workers also recognize the risks of not following this transformation: 63% fear that not learning to use AI tools may delay their career growth, and 61% believe that those who do not adopt AI are at risk of falling behind. Still, the movement is shared learning: 51% say AI is helping to reduce the gap between generations, and more than half say they regularly share AI knowledge with colleagues 66% index among professionals aged 25 to 34.

“The world of work is evolving rapidly. Advances in technology, especially artificial intelligence, are increasing productivity, opening new career opportunities and connecting different generations of knowledge.These significant productivity gains enabled by AI are helping to create more connected and agile teams, ready for the future of work.The new generations are playing an essential role in sharing their digital skills with colleagues, which improves performance and opens up new business opportunities”, he says Mark Dixon, Founder and CEO of IWG.