Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the workplace in Spain. With 96% of professionals using AI-based tools, this mass adoption is spreading to a number of areas, a study by AI language company DeepL revealed.
The study, conducted among 150 senior executives from various sectors in Spain (pharmaceutical, manufacturing, legal, automotive and retail), found widespread adoption of AI-based tools with applications in areas such as translation (66%) and task automation (64%).
While it is true that AI is being harnessed by a variety of professional profiles, there is still much to learn in order to make the most of its potential. Although the majority of professionals are adopting these types of solutions, only 23% of respondents consider themselves to be an AI ‘expert’.
This massive adoption of cutting-edge technology-driven tools contrasts with growing concerns about the role of AI in job cuts across industries, highlighting that even jobs that are not affected will have to adapt and take advantage of its benefits.
In a recent interview, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna admitted that AI has replaced hundreds of jobs in areas such as human resources, although, like other tech industry executives, he stressed that AI adoption has also created new opportunities in divisions such as sales, software engineering and marketing.
“While we’ve done a lot of work within IBM to leverage AI and automation in certain business workflows, our total employment has actually increased, because what it does is it gives you more capacity to invest in other areas”, the executive told the Wall Street Journal.
While there is extensive debate around the layoffs that AI has caused so far and those that are yet to come, the advent of this technology also has the ability to create new opportunities that can be seized by professionals.
Research by Ness Digital Engineering found that GenAI tools can significantly improve the productivity of software engineers. Despite certain concerns and challenges that this brings, engineering teams must embrace this change, adapt to new ways of working and stay ahead in this rapidly evolving field.
Another challenge to overcome in this era of AI is language barriers, which continue to cost business opportunities. According to the data revealed in the DeepL study, more than 50% of professionals recognise difficulties in communicating in other languages at work, especially as 57% feel they are not fluent enough in speaking or cannot communicate in writing in multicultural teams, while 55% expressed difficulties in understanding technical documentation.
This barrier has led to financial losses: 49% of respondents say their company has lost new opportunities due to language barriers.
Despite these challenges, AI offers great potential for companies and employees in Spain, with 92% providing these technologies to their employees through the integration of various systems that facilitate work and eliminate unnecessary burdens, such as the automation of repetitive tasks or the integration of assistants that facilitate communication in various languages and allow companies to target the global market.
“The results of this survey show that AI is a key ally for millions of professionals in Spain. But they also reveal a pending issue: multilingual communication still generates friction, stress and lost opportunities,” says Jarek Kutylowski, CEO and Founder of DeepL. “We aim to develop intelligent, accurate, and secure tools, adapted to the real needs of companies, that empower our customers to address these challenges and eliminate existing barriers effectively.”
The figures presented in this study are further proof that the Spanish employment landscape is constantly evolving thanks to AI. While there are significant challenges, the future of this technology in Spain looks promising and with the potential to further transform the way companies and employees drive business.