BER Survey: 73% of professionals now using AI weekly

A Bureau for Economic Research (BER) survey has highlighted the significant entrenchment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the South African professional landscape. The data reveals that AI has transitioned from a niche tool to a standard operational component for both institutional managers and private individuals.

AI utilisation is now a consistent feature of the work week for the vast majority of respondents.

Standard Usage: Approximately 73% of all respondents utilize AI tools for between one and five hours per work week.

High-Frequency Users: About a third of respondents use AI for more than five hours weekly.

Professional Lead: Managers and professionals demonstrate higher adoption rates, with 41% using AI for more than five hours a week, compared to 30% of private individuals.

Non-Adoption: Only 5% of managers and 9% of private individuals report not using AI at all in their professional capacity.

The survey indicates a strong correlation between AI usage and measurable efficiency gains.

Historical Gains: In the preceding three years, AI enhanced productivity by 5% or more for approximately 35% of managers and 27% of private individuals.

Future Expectations: Sentiment regarding future gains is notably more aggressive, with more than two-thirds of all respondents expecting AI to enhance productivity by more than 5% over the next three years.

Institutional Optimism: This expectation is highest among managers and professionals at firms, with 82% anticipating a productivity increase of 5% or more.

Global Context

These results mirror global trends where AI is increasingly leveraged as a primary driver of operational efficiency. 

Internationally, firms are moving beyond basic generative AI toward specialised applications to offset rising logistical costs and technical skill shortages. 

As organizations prioritize digital resilience, the capacity to integrate AI into core workflows is increasingly viewed as a prerequisite for maintaining competitiveness in a volatile global market.