October 15, 2025
Voice-Based AI Interaction Could Upgrade Employee Engagement
Do you talk to your AI, yet? For a world that got used to smart home speakers and smartphones with voice assistance, there’s still remarkably little feedback on how many users happily chat to their augmented AI buddies, either at work or home.
Jabra’s new study in collaboration with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) suggests that future is not far away. As the first of its kind, the report reveals that voice-to-AI is not a distant vision but an emerging reality as part of the employee experience.
It explores how voice-based interaction with generative AI will shape the future of work. Conducted at LSE’s Behavioural Lab for Teaching and Research, the study predicts that voice will be the mainstream way of working with GenAI by 2028.
Early adopters in the UK are already showing clear preference and higher trust when speaking to AI (33%), but the research also warns that this shift will only succeed if organisations address critical gaps now.
Talking To and Trusting AI Agents
The findings in the “Welcome to work beyond the keyboard” report come as workers have more tools to connect than ever, yet many still struggle to collaborate effectively.
Hybrid work, globalisation and nonstop digital communication have created rising levels of “digital debt,” leaving employees with more messages but less time for productive work. The study examined what work looks like when powered by voice GenAI, and how it could change this dynamic.
Key findings from the study include:
- 14% of participants preferred voice over typing when interacting with GenAI: Referenced against well-established technology adoption curves, this represents a tipping point and suggests we are on the verge on mainstream usage, something technology leaders also widely predicted for 2025. This placed adoption just beyond the “early adopter” threshold, signaling acceleration toward mainstream use.
- Trust in AI increased 33% when participants interacted through voice rather than text: Many reported that speaking to GenAI made them feel more connected, positioning voice as a more collaborative interface.
- Certain tasks are best suited to voice AI: Participants noted voice interaction was ideal for quick questions, planning, brainstorming, idea generation and moments where speed mattered most.
- However, on tasks that required persuasion and refinement, performance dropped by almost 20% when using voice compared with text.
- Adoption is shaped more by context than by age: Older professionals were often more willing to use voice for work tasks once they experienced it, while younger workers (Gen Z) who commonly use voice-controlled systems like Siri or Alexa in their personal lives were less likely to rely on it in professional settings.
Feedback on AI Voice Chat
As an AI user there’s a certain appeal about refining queries by chatting to the computer. Or, following up through voice rather than having to rewrite or edit prompts. So, there’s plenty of opportunity here. But do we really want busy offices full of people shouting prompts and directions at their AI-enabled laptops?
Paul Sephton, Global Head of Brand Communication at Jabra, said, “GenAI is reshaping how work gets done but only if people can interact with it naturally and effectively. This research confirms that voice is poised to become a primary interface with AI.”
He concludes, “While global industries are on the verge of the “S-curve” take off for voice AI, the organisations that prepare their people and spaces today will be the ones shaping how we all work tomorrow.
Professor Michael Muthukrishna, The London School of Economics and Political Science, said, “The data aligns with what many CEOs and technology leaders have predicted: a shift toward conversational computing, where talking and listening begin to complement or even replace typing and reading. The future won’t be shaped by a single, one-size-fits-all AI. Instead, it will be defined by a team of specialist systems, all coordinated through one interface that understands you best.”
Jabra aims make this future of work possible, ensuring that whether someone is at their desk, in a meeting room or on the move, their voice is captured with the clarity and accuracy that GenAI requires.
Jabra’s range of office collaboration audio/video gear will likely help as more people talk to AI. Even so, we await the first example when police are called due to a remote worker screaming at their AI in frustration.
