Liz Mackie: Would Agatha Christie have used AI?

The Queen of Crime certainly had a curious mind and as a female writer, was a trailblazer in her field.

So, I suspect that she would have dabbled with AI to assist her work in areas such as research, testing plot ideas and producing first drafts. If she used Midjourney she could have also knocked out a couple of sample book covers while she was at it.

AI work trends

The current world of labour and work is changing fast, as highlighted in a report conducted by LinkedIn and Microsoft called the 2024 Work Trend Index Report, which surveyed 31,000 people across 31 countries identifying labour and hiring trends.

What the survey found is that 78 per cent of employees want AI at work, with the majority of them unable to wait for companies to catch up. Meaning that, impatient staff are bringing their “home” AI tools to work.

Professionals aren’t waiting for policies, training or guidance. They are up-skilling themselves. Simply because AI skills can help them get promoted faster as well as broadening their job opportunities.

AI power users

The rise of the “AI power user” means that they can save 30 minutes a day over their non-AI colleagues. AI helps to manage an often-overwhelming workload, sometimes referred to as “digital debt.” Additional benefits include the ability to focus, boost creativity, motivation and yes, wait for it… enjoyment!

Interestingly it was also found that 66 per cent of leaders would not hire someone without AI skills. So, the AI power user has become more attractive and marketable in a competitive workplace.

In fact, leading AI adopters achieve four times the ROI compared to newcomers, according to IDC. Plus, AI capabilities are now doubling at four times the pace of traditional computing. Between December 2024 and January 2025, ChatGPT’s average number of weekly users jumped from 300 million to 400 million accounts.

If you consider that the UK has 69 million people living in it, this is the whole of the UK going into AI in one month…. and then some!

Another study by Lenovo highlights that “only 11 per cent of organisations are  using GenAI-powered applications, this number is expected to increase almost fourfold to 42 per cent in the coming year.”

Barriers to AI  in business

The Lenovo study cites “lack of skilled expertise is the most common reason for not investing in AI, while the research found that access to partners with strong AI capabilities remains one of the most important factors in successful AI implementation”.

So, for all those youngsters looking to ride the next tech wave, a career in AI looks to be a good option for the next generation.

Our local heroine Agatha Christie was often asked about what “system” she used to write her books. Unfortunately, she had to respond by saying that there was no “system”. She had the ideas, wrote the plot and then spent a disproportionate amount of time worrying about the story, rewriting and editing until at last, one finished book was produced and sent to the publisher.

Each book she wrote provided Agatha with an initial £60 payment from her publisher.

I think that Agatha Christie would have loved an AI “system” which might well have given her a good head start. But as in all things AI, it is the human touch which elevates her novels to reach the heady heights of being the world’s best-selling author of all time, following The Bible.

I feel that she would have been mildly amused by www.bookbyanyone.com which can write a book using AI for your loved one based on their interests and hobbies for £26 in five minutes.

Other great business AI tools this week include markmap for making sense of data in mindmaps, flowcharts and gamma.app Presentations and Slide Decks with AI | Gamma for fast PowerPoint presentations.

Please email success@leonardopower.com to find out more about AI tools for business.