AI Adoption Does Not Guarantee Productivity, COS Co-CEO Warns

Sydney — Complete Office Supplies (COS) Co-CEO Belinda Lyone has urged Australian business leaders to distinguish between adopting Artificial lntelligence (AI) and achieving genuine productivity improvements, after new research found that almost one-third of office workers do not feel AI has given them more time at work.

The research conducted by COS, the largest Australian family-owned workplace supplies business, surveyed more than 1,000 Australian office workers and found that while 52% said AI had given them more time at work, 30% said they had not experienced an increase in available time, with 8% saying learning and checking AI outputs was adding extra work.

About 9% expressed how expectations have increased because of the availability of AI tools, which COS Co-CEO, Belinda Lyone, indicated highlights complicated dynamics in the workplaces and a practical challenge for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are trying to improve productivity without simply adding more pressure to employees.

“AI can absolutely help people work faster and focus on higher-value tasks, but it is not a shortcut on its own.

“If a business introduces AI without the right training, expectations and workflow changes, it can quickly become another thing employees need to learn, check and manage.

"That is when a productivity tool risks becoming another layer of work," Lyone said in a press statement.

Lyone added that businesses needed to focus on how employees were using AI rather than simply measuring whether the technology had been adopted.

“There is a big difference between giving employees access to a tool and helping them use it well,

“At COS, we are investing heavily in AI training because we know people need confidence, context and clear guidance.

"You cannot assume that because a tool is available, it is automatically making work easier," said the COS Co-CEO.

The research also pointed to a need for businesses to establish clearer expectations around the purpose of AI moving from how quickly they can adopt the technology to more on whether employees are given enough training, guidance and workflows needed to use it effectively.

COS was founded in 1977 by the late Dominique Lyone and is now led by second-generation sisters, Belinda and Amie Lyone.

The company has more than 700 employees and warehouses in every Australian state and territory, supplying workplaces, schools and hospitals across the country.

The company has also invested in AI training for its workforce, reflecting Lyone's argument that successful AI adoption requires more than simply making technology available.