内容来源：https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsofts-new-research-finds-an-ai-paradox-holding-companies-back/

内容总结：

微软年度报告：企业陈旧文化成AI应用最大障碍

西雅图讯——微软最新发布的《工作趋势指数》年度报告指出，阻碍企业从人工智能中获取真正价值的最大障碍并非技术本身或员工能力，而是组织内部根深蒂固的文化惯性。这项覆盖全球2万名AI用户的调查揭示了一个“转型悖论”：65%的受访者担心若不迅速采用AI会落后于人，但仅有13%的人表示在工作中使用和试验AI会获得奖励。

报告显示，员工已准备好重塑工作方式，但围绕他们的衡量标准、激励机制和规范仍在强化旧有模式。微软前沿企业倡议总经理马特·法尔斯通表示，两年前高管们面临来自董事会的压力，要求他们从AI中释放价值；而如今，信息已变成“你的员工已经准备好了”，领导者的任务是“重构工作架构”，将员工的个人能动性和能力转化为企业价值。

值得关注的是，那些鼓励员工试验AI并分享经验的领导者，能够创建“推动我们进入智能体时代的卓越学习系统”。报告进一步指出，文化、管理者支持和人才实践对AI应用效果的影响，是个人心态和行为等因素的两倍以上。当管理者积极示范使用AI时，员工对AI价值的认可度提升17个百分点，对智能体的信任度提升30个百分点。

在具体数据方面，微软分析了超过10万次Copilot聊天记录，发现49%的交互涉及认知性工作，包括分析信息、解决问题和创造性思考，而非简单的文档总结或信息查找。58%的AI用户表示，他们现在能完成一年前无法做到的工作，而在被称为“前沿专业人士”的群体中，这一比例高达80%。

目前，AI智能体的采用呈爆发式增长：微软365平台上活跃智能体数量同比增长15倍，大型企业中更达到18倍。采用模式因行业而异：软件和科技公司对智能体的应用最广泛，而制造业虽采用企业较少，但部署深度令人惊讶。银行业、零售业和教育领域也显示出显著的智能体采用率。

法尔斯通将当前AI发展阶段比作移动应用的早期：“人们正在构建智能体，他们是爱好者。他们的个人知识正在延伸专业职场。这是新技术浪潮，但所有关于如何变革职场的基本直觉并未改变。”

中文翻译：

【编者按：《转型推动者》是GeekWire独立策划的系列报道，由埃森哲赞助，探讨人工智能及智能体的应用与影响。欢迎关注我们相关活动的报道。】

微软一项针对全球职场2万名人工智能用户的新研究得出结论：从AI中获得真正价值的最大障碍并非技术本身或员工自身，而是他们所在组织根深蒂固的文化。

这种"转型悖论"是微软周二上午发布的年度《工作趋势指数》的核心发现之一。报告描绘了一幅员工渴望重塑工作方式、但组织却无力推动变革的图景。

65%的受访AI用户表示，他们担心如果不快速采用AI就会落后于人。但只有13%的人表示，在工作中使用和尝试AI会获得回报。

微软在报告中指出："员工已经准备好重塑工作方式，但他们周围的体系——指标、激励机制和规范——仍在强化旧有模式。"

结论是：要想真正把握AI革命带来的机遇，企业领导者需要从根本上重构工作的组织、管理和激励方式，而不是简单地给员工提供新工具并期待他们自行摸索。

微软前沿企业计划总经理马特·费尔斯通表示，向领导者传达的信息已经改变。两年前，高管们迫于董事会压力需要从AI中释放价值；而现在，他说，信息变成了：你们的员工已经准备好了。

费尔斯通在报告发布前的采访中说，领导者的职责是"重新设计工作"。"你的任务是将员工的个人能动性、能力和潜力转化为实际价值，并加以运用，为企业创造更大的商业价值。"

他表示，鼓励员工尝试AI并分享经验的领导者，能够创建"不可思议的学习生态系统，推动我们进入智能体时代"。

当然，这同样符合微软的利益：该公司正押注智能体作为其宏大AI产品战略的下一阶段，而一份声称"组织需要改变工作方式"的报告，同时也是推销更多工具、培训和许可证的契机。

伴随报告发布，微软还宣布了Copilot Cowork的新功能，包括移动应用和用于连接第三方业务系统的插件生态系统。

关于员工如何利用AI的新数据

该报告是一项追踪工作方式变革的系列调查的最新成果，其追踪范围从新冠疫情初期，到AI在职场崛起，再到"无限工作日"时代。去年的报告引入了"前沿企业"概念，并预见了一个员工担任"智能体主管"、管理AI团队成员的世界。

今年的《工作趋势指数》范围有所收窄，覆盖10个国家的2万名员工，而近年来样本量为31个国家的3.1万人。该调查由埃德尔曼数据与情报公司执行。一个新增的变化是：调查排除了所有在工作中尚未使用AI的人。

与以往一样，微软还分析了来自Microsoft 365的数千亿匿名生产力信号。公司还与哈佛商学院及内部组织心理学家合作，解读调查结果。

今年的新增内容是对超过10万次Copilot对话的分析——这些对话按所涉及的工作类型进行分类。分析发现，49%的Copilot交互涉及认知型工作——如分析信息、解决问题和创造性思考——而非仅仅是总结文档或查找信息等简单任务。

微软利用这一数据点宣称，AI不仅让员工工作更快，还扩展了人们能够完成的工作类型。

"前沿专业人士"的崛起

58%的受访AI用户表示，他们正在完成一年前无法做到的工作，而在报告所称的"前沿专业人士"群体中，这一比例升至80%。

这些"前沿专业人士"占AI用户的16%，他们经常使用智能体处理多步骤工作流，重新设计工作完成方式，并与团队分享所学到的经验。前沿专业人士也更审慎地决定何时不使用AI：43%的人表示，他们会有意在某些工作中不使用AI，以保持自身技能的敏锐度。

研究中最大的AI用户群体（42%）处于微软所称的"新兴"中间地带，在该群体中，个人技能和组织支持都仍在形成之中。

在组织层面，报告发现，文化、管理者支持及人才管理实践对AI成效的影响，是个人因素（如思维模式和行为）的两倍以上。

根据微软另一项针对1800名员工的研究，当管理者主动示范使用AI时，员工报告从AI中获得的价值提升17个百分点，对智能体的信任度提升30个百分点。但只有四分之一的AI用户表示，他们的领导者在AI问题上立场明确一致。

新兴的AI采用模式

该报告还包含了微软首批关于AI智能体的《工作趋势指数》数据，显示Microsoft 365上的活跃智能体数量同比增长15倍，在大企业中增幅达18倍。微软未披露基准数据，因此难以评估实际采用规模。

新报告称，采用模式因行业而异。不出所料，软件和科技公司在各岗位职能中展现出最广泛的智能体应用。

但微软表示，制造业的采用深度令其意外：使用智能体的公司较少，但那些已采用的公司却在特定任务中密集部署。银行业与资本市场、零售业及教育行业也显示出显著的智能体采用趋势。

在随报告发布的一篇博文中，微软AI业务首席营销官贾里德·斯帕塔罗描述了人类与AI智能体协作的四种新兴模式：

• 创作者：员工主导产出工作，仅在需要时向AI求助。
• 审阅者：员工设定意图，由AI生成初稿供编辑和批准。
• 指导者：员工将整个任务交给AI执行，并确认最终成果。
• 编排者：员工设计一个系统，让多个智能体并行运行，并将异常情况反馈给人类。

费尔斯通将当前AI的发展阶段比作移动应用的早期——那时人们在应用商店和权限模型尚未出现之前就开始构建应用。

"人们正在构建智能体。他们是业余爱好者。"他说，"他们的个人知识正在延伸至专业职场。这是一波新的技术浪潮，但所有关于如何变革工作场所的基本直觉并未改变。"

英文来源：

[Editor’s Note: Agents of Transformation is an independent GeekWire series, underwritten by Accenture, exploring the adoption and impact of AI and agents. See coverage of our related event.]
A new Microsoft study of 20,000 artificial intelligence users in workplaces around the world concludes that the biggest barrier to getting real value from AI isn’t the technology or the workers themselves — it’s the ingrained culture of the organizations where they work.
That “Transformation Paradox” is one of the central findings from Microsoft’s annual Work Trend Index, released Tuesday morning, which paints a picture of employees eager to reshape their jobs and organizations that aren’t really in a position to make it happen.
Sixty-five percent of the AI users surveyed said they fear falling behind if they don’t adopt AI quickly. But only 13% said they’re rewarded for using and experimenting with AI in their jobs.
“Employees are ready to reinvent how they work, but the system around them—metrics, incentives, and norms—continues to reinforce the old way,” Microsoft says in the report.
The takeaway: For companies to truly capitalize on the AI revolution, leaders need to fundamentally overhaul how work is structured, managed, and rewarded, rather than simply handing workers new tools and expecting them to figure it out.
Matt Firestone, general manager of Microsoft’s Frontier Firm initiative, said the message to leaders has changed. Two years ago, executives were under pressure from their boards to unlock value from AI. Now, he said, the message is that their people are already there.
It’s the job of leaders to “re-architect work,” Firestone said in an interview ahead of the report’s release. “Your job is to convert the individual agency and capacity and abilities of your people to unlock that and apply it to increase business value for the enterprise.”
Leaders who encourage employees to experiment with AI and share their experiences create “these incredible systems of learning that drive us forward into the agentic era,” he said.
Of course, this also serves Microsoft’s interests: the company is betting heavily on agents for the next phase of its outsized AI product ambitions, and a report that says organizations need to change how they work is also a pitch for more tools, training, and licenses.
Alongside the report, Microsoft is announcing new capabilities for Copilot Cowork, including a mobile app and a plugin ecosystem for connecting to third-party business systems.
New data on how workers use AI
The report is the latest installment of a survey that has tracked the transformation of work from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic through the rise of AI in the workplace and the “infinite workday.” Last year’s edition introduced the concept of the “Frontier Firm” and foresaw a world in which workers served as “agent bosses” managing AI teammates.
This year’s Work Trend Index was narrower, covering 20,000 workers across 10 countries, down from 31,000 across 31 countries in recent years. The survey was conducted by Edelman Data x Intelligence. In a new twist, it also excluded anyone who doesn’t already use AI at work.
As it has in the past, Microsoft also analyzed trillions of anonymized productivity signals from Microsoft 365. The company partnered with Harvard Business School and in-house organizational psychologists to interpret the findings.
New this year was an analysis of more than 100,000 Copilot chats, classified by the type of work involved. That analysis found that 49% of all Copilot interactions involved cognitive work — analyzing information, solving problems, and thinking creatively — rather than simpler tasks like summarizing documents or finding information.
Microsoft is using that data point to assert that AI is not just making workers faster but expanding the types of work people can accomplish.
The rise of ‘Frontier Professionals’
Fifty-eight percent of AI users surveyed said they are producing work they couldn’t have a year ago, rising to 80% among a group the report calls “Frontier Professionals.”
These are the 16% of AI users who routinely use agents for multi-step workflows, redesign how their work gets done, and share what they learn with their teams. Frontier Professionals are also more deliberate about when not to use AI: 43% said they intentionally do some work without it to keep their skills sharp.
The largest group of AI users in the study (42%) sat in what Microsoft called the “emergent” middle, where both individual skills and organizational support are still taking shape.
On the organizational side, the report found that culture, manager support, and talent practices account for more than twice the AI impact of individual factors like mindset and behavior.
When managers actively modeled AI use, employees reported a 17-point increase in the value they got from AI and a 30-point boost in trust in agents, according to a separate Microsoft study of 1,800 workers. But only one in four AI users said their leaders are clearly aligned on AI.
Emerging AI adoption patterns
The report also includes Microsoft’s first Work Trend Index data on AI agents, showing a 15x year-over-year increase in active agents on Microsoft 365, rising to 18x in large enterprises. Microsoft did not disclose the baseline, making it difficult to assess the actual scale of adoption.
The new report says adoption patterns vary by industry. As would be expected, software and technology companies showed the broadest use of agents across job functions.
But Microsoft said it was surprised by the depth of adoption in manufacturing, where fewer companies were using agents but those that did were deploying them heavily in specific tasks. Banking and capital markets, retail, and education also showed significant agent adoption.
In a blog post accompanying the report, Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer for AI at Work, described four emerging patterns for how humans and AI agents work together:

• Author: The worker produces the work, calling on AI for help as needed.
• Reviewer: The worker sets the intent and AI creates a first draft to edit and approve.
• Director: The worker hands off entire tasks for AI to execute and signs off on the outcome.
• Orchestrator: The worker designs a system where multiple agents run in parallel, flagging exceptions back to the human.
  Firestone compared the current moment in AI to the early days of mobile apps, when people were building apps before app stores and permission models existed.
  “People are building agents. They’re hobbyists,” he said. “Their personal knowledge is extending the professional workplace. This is a new wave of technology, but all of the fundamental instincts of how to transform the workplace haven’t changed.”