AI is advancing at a remarkable pace, rapidly reshaping how we work, communicate, and collaborate. While headlines on AI often fixate on concerns about mass job displacement or dystopian AI takeovers, a surprising statistic has emerged.
The Pulse of Work in 2025: Trends, Truths, and the Practicality of AI, a recent study by GoTo, suggests that employees increasingly believe AI will render physical offices obsolete.
Indeed, 51% of respondents believe AI will replace traditional workspaces with flexible, location-independent environments powered by intelligent automation.
This sentiment reflects growing confidence in AI’s ability to eliminate the geographic constraints that have defined work for generations. But what would a world without offices actually look like? And, more importantly, why do workers believe this future is inevitable?
To find out more, we spoke with Rich Veldran, CEO of GoTo, about AI’s role in reshaping workspaces and what this means for the future of collaboration.
Why Employees Believe Offices Are Obsolete
The conviction that AI will eliminate physical offices stems from employees seeing the everyday benefits it brings to their workflow. The GoTo study showed that over three-fifths feel AI will allow them to work from anywhere without losing productivity, and more than 60% believe it will improve their collaboration with colleagues.
Such ideas about increased efficiency and collaboration mean many believe this will end the debate between the gains of being in the office versus those at home.
Veldran explains how this “stems from a belief that AI’s ability to streamline workflows and maintain high performance across different locations could ultimately remove the need for physical offices altogether.”
“For example, they estimate AI could save 13 hours a week by taking over routine tasks and more.”
These aren’t marginal gains. Saving 13 hours weekly represents more than a quarter of a standard workweek. When employees see AI eliminating such significant portions of routine work, it fundamentally changes their perception of where they need to be to accomplish their jobs.
The belief that the office will be obsolete reflects broader lifestyle aspirations of the participants. Seven in 10 employees believe AI would improve their work-life balance, and 62% would choose AI-powered remote work over office-based roles.
These figures highlight that flexibility and AI have become tightly linked in employees’ minds, with the technology viewed as the enabling technology that makes location independence genuinely viable rather than merely tolerable.
Where AI Falls Short Today
Despite optimistic employee sentiment, significant obstacles prevent AI from delivering on its promise to eliminate offices.
A striking disconnect exists between IT leadership and employees regarding how effectively AI currently supports remote and hybrid workers.
While the study highlighted that 91% of IT leaders feel AI effectively supports distributed workers, only 53% of employees agree.
This gap reveals fundamentally different perspectives on what “effective” means in practice.
“The gap reflects mismatched perceptions of AI mastery,”
Veldran explains.
“While 49% of IT leaders say their teams lack practical AI skills, an even higher proportion of employees (82%) feel the same way. Nine in ten employees also believe workers aren’t receiving proper training, compared with 59% of IT leaders.”
This disparity is more pronounced in smaller organizations, where 46% of employees admit they don’t know how to harness AI effectively, versus 30% at larger organizations.
The divide also stems from differing standards for measuring success; IT leaders consider smooth deployment as effective, whereas employees judge value by whether tools deliver tangible benefits in their daily work.
Beyond training deficits, current adoption rates reveal that implementation isn’t progressing as quickly as enthusiasm might suggest.
Just 40% of employees have access to AI virtual assistants and chat functions, despite more than 70% feeling these solutions would benefit them. This implementation gap means current impacts remain relatively limited.
How UC Platforms Must Adapt
If the future of work genuinely moves beyond physical offices, UC companies will need to fundamentally rethink their platforms and services.
Already, UC platforms are about bridging communication between employees regardless of location. Increasingly, they are also adding AI features too.
But a shift away from the office entirely would need more than adding AI features to existing products to facilitate that.
“Vendors offering piecemeal products under the guise of integration will struggle,”
Veldran explains
“Those delivering truly unified platforms that enable consistent, personalized, and timely experiences will gain the advantage.”
This demand for personalization will intensify if remote-first working becomes the norm. Organizations will require cohesive, well-integrated systems with the flexibility to plug in emerging AI tools so rollouts aren’t limited to when the company first ditched their office.
As important will be the training on these new tools. With only 45% of IT leaders currently claiming to have a functioning AI policy, such disconnect between workers will only become more pronounced.
“I must highlight the importance of robust training and clear policies to ensure employees can use AI confidently and responsibly,” Veldran said.
Beyond functionality, UC vendors must tackle the heightened security risks of remote and hybrid work.
Off-site working has fueled a “bring your own device” boom, with employees accessing systems through multiple personal devices and networks that traditional office-based security protocols can’t adequately cover.
Providers will need rigorous protections for these fluid environments, including zero-trust access controls at every entry point.
Preparing for an AI-Driven Flexible Workplace
Even if AI doesn’t eliminate offices as rapidly as some expect, organizations can take concrete steps now to prepare for increased workplace flexibility that AI’s growth could bring.
For providers, Veldran urges a focus on building solutions that address real business needs rather than bolting on flashy features.
This also applies to IT leaders when deploying tools. Specifications must be purposeful and based on thorough evaluation of what tools actually deliver and how they match company needs.
While this requires more upfront effort, the payoff is substantial.
GoTo’s study found that spending as little as $20 more per month on AI tools could save each employee an hour daily, adding up to approximately 6.5 workweeks annually.
After selecting the right tools, leaders must ensure effective adoption. Robust training and clear policies enable employees to use AI confidently when not under direct supervision in an office.
The path forward requires acknowledging both AI’s transformative potential and the practical barriers that currently limit its impact.
Whether or not physical offices disappear entirely, AI is undeniably reshaping how work happens.
