Calls to slow the pace of AI development over fears of its potential to destroy humanity are unlikely to resonate with many office workers, most of whom still primarily use the technology for basic tasks.
Only around a quarter of UK adults use AI tools in their work on a daily basis, according to a Deloitte survey of 25,000 employees published this month. The study found that the most common uses were searching for information, writing emails, checking facts, and creating summaries.
But a smaller group of AI “superusers” have restructured their professional lives around intensive use of new tools. Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index report indicates that 16 percent of AI users fall into this category and identifies three things that define them: they are power users of AI agents; they redesigned workflows to maximize efficiency; and they share their knowledge within their wider organization.
But what does it mean to consider yourself an AI superuser in the office? Business leaders share their experience.
Nurturing agents with institutional knowledge
For some bosses, an AI agent acts like a chief of staff. Pamela Maynard, head of AI transformation for Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions, describes hers as holding “the institutional context: my priorities, my timeline, what I care about, even my boundaries.” She says the agent uses this “to prepare me: shaping my week, drawing out what needs my attention and making sure I come prepared.” He also pushes back: “He actually asked me why I was working on a Sunday afternoon when I should have been with friends or family.”
Angela Tangas, head of UK marketing agency Oliver, part of AI and digital advertising group Brandtech, has an “Ask Angel” agent, no avatar yet, but a useful first line of support for her direct reports when she’s not available. “It started with some of the most frequently asked questions when I talk to clients, and how I would typically answer those questions, and where I go to find sources of information. » It’s a work in progress: ask him anything too complex and he “cuts in” and refers the questioners to the real CEO.
Redefine what you can achieve
At law firm Lewis Silkin, senior associate Jordan Quartey uses specialist legal AI tool Harvey to gather client-specific files containing the firm’s past advice and decisions, as well as current email chains. This means that he no longer needs to seek advice from senior colleagues at an early stage, but progresses through the process on his own by learning what has been done before and using this context to develop his judgement. “It’s more efficient and a better way to learn on my own,” he says.
Ivan Zhao, co-founder and CEO of Notion, a collaboration and productivity platform, compares the shift in work patterns to the difference between a marching band and a jazz ensemble. “Marching band is like the old way of working – everyone in synchronized formation, following the same old scores, expending a lot of energy just to stay in sync.”
A jazz group, on the other hand, “has talented people who improvise around a common idea of the direction the music is taking.” In his workplace, this means officers take care of the “boring, repetitive stuff” so staff can “dedicate their time to improvisation and fine-tuning.” There are “longer conversations with colleagues, talking about what we’re building, why we’re building it this way, and what we should do next.”
Prioritize human colleagues
Maynard at Microsoft says that “AI should give us more space for humans, not less.” Time saved through efficiencies should be used for “the relationships, the mentoring, the complicated human conversations that no agent can have for me,” she says. “The real risk… is that we let the recovered time slowly fill up with more tasks. »
While some leaders want to reduce meetings, Maynard makes them “count more.” An agent conducts the pre-briefing so teams can use the time for a “real conversation.” “The recap and follow-ups write themselves, so the time in the room goes back to the people, not the process.”
Zhao says Notion’s staff has eliminated “boring meetings” because “an agent can summarize what products shipped this week or what sales were made.” This means “there’s more time for spontaneous meetings, where you accomplish something over lunch or drop by someone’s desk and chat about what’s on their screen – that’s often where the best ideas come from.”
Stop viewing AI as a time saver
Tangas says she doesn’t measure the benefits of her team of AI agents in “how much time I save,” but how it makes her “more effective as a leader.”
She starts the day with an AI-generated news roundup, invited and fine-tuned to give her news on relevant industries. “For example, if (a client) has a results warning, would I have seen it if I hadn’t received my message? Probably not. It allows me to be much more proactive.”
She then works with agents within the company’s own AI platform to stimulate ideas and prepare for client meetings. “Let’s say before meeting with an executive, I would say, ‘My client profile looks like this,’ and ‘This is what I hope to get from the conversation. Can we play a role in how this conversation might play out?”
Leanne Taylor, chief executive of Syspro, a software maker, says the number of hours she earns “is not a good question.” Her company’s AI tool is trained in the company’s routines and discussions, but also learns how she thinks and makes decisions personally, as well as what her priorities are. It includes the “language I use when I’m thinking about something, rather than when I’m coming to a conclusion,” she says. This means technology can help him make better decisions that “reflect how I lead and not some generic version of leadership.”
Be careful with the “sitting bot”
Berry Diepeveen, senior partner at BCG and head of the consultancy’s technology and digital business for the UK, Netherlands and Belgium, says he has “virtual teams working for me day in and day out”.
But he emphasizes that adequate oversight is vital: “If I’m creating a lot of AI-based content, but I pass it over the fence and a human suddenly has to handle five, ten, fifteen times the volume of work, then, of course, that bottleneck is gone.” »
Have fun
“The most surprising thing about AI? How much fun it is,” says Taylor at Syspro. “I expected something useful and efficient. I didn’t expect to enjoy the way I worked more than I did before. But there’s something that happens when friction lessens: you start to play.”
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