A national survey conducted by HED, an integrated architecture and engineering firm, reveals a critical mismatch between how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming knowledge work and how office environments are designed to support it.
The study, which surveyed workers across the United States, found that while 83% of employees already use AI tools in their work, current workplaces lack the environments that align with where work is today, and where work is going in the future.
Workers are signaling clear priorities for their office environments. Flexibility emerged as the number one need, cited by 51% of respondents, followed by comfort (42%), privacy (38%), and connection (37%).
Workers Ready for Intelligent Offices
Most striking is workers’ openness to intelligent workplace technologies. The survey found that two out of three of respondents are comfortable with offices that sense environmental conditions and adapt accordingly, provided proper consent is obtained. When asked what they would want from an intelligent, responsive workplace, 47% said they want it to reduce distractions, 43% want help finding the right space for their work, and 42% want sensory and ambient conditions adjusted to match their preferences.
“The majority of workers are comfortable with the workplace sensing signals and leveraging data to optimize space,” notes HED’s Workplace Strategy Lead, Sarah Davis. “The responses show that while there is an appetite for this next step, this evolution needs to be done with transparency and sensitivity to personal data.”
AI Unlocks Time for Higher-Value Work
When asked how they would use time freed up by AI automation, half of workers said they want to learn new skills or tools, 46% want to engage in creative thinking and experimentation, and 43% want to deeply focus on complex problems. This indicates that workers are looking to reallocate that time towards learning, deep focus, and higher-level thinking. Yet current office designs are failing to provide the environments these processes require.
The Restoration Gap
“The research shows the biggest workplace performance gap isn’t collaboration, but restoration,” said Workplace Sector Leader, Rebecca Swanner AIA. “While some current offices adequately support creative thinking and relationship building, they fall short at providing restoration spaces that help workers manage increasing cognitive demands.”
The Leadership-Worker Divide: Visibility vs. Focus
HED’s survey also revealed a disconnect between leaders and employees when it comes to workplace design. Leaders optimize for presence and connection, while task-focused roles optimize for focus and cognitive protection. When asked to choose between highly visible open spaces and quiet enclosed spaces, respondents were evenly split, revealing that the optimal office isn’t open or closed, but adaptive. Office strategy must balance leadership visibility with cognitive performance.
This survey is part of HED’s Intelligence in Place, an ongoing research initiative and strategic framework for designing AI-enabled workplaces. Intelligence in Place reimagines workplace environments as active collaborators in AI-driven work, intentionally integrating AI, data, and human intelligence so that workspaces amplify human potential rather than merely accommodate people and technology as static environments.
Workers are ready to embrace AI-enabled office environments, but the built environment has not kept pace. Workspaces must evolve to meet their needs and amplify human potential. HED leads at that intersection, building across the gap and designing what’s next.
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