Exploring AI Integration in Hotlink's Operations
Hotlink, a leading company in social media marketing headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, has conducted its latest internal survey focusing on the utilization of AI tools. This survey, conducted between July 11 and July 24, 2025, reflects the company's ongoing commitment to integrating AI into its operations, aiming to create standards for social media marketing in the AI era.
Overview of the Survey
The survey, which is the sixth since its initiation in April 2024, involved 120 employees, including both full-time and contract staff. It assesses how AI tools—particularly generative AI—are being embedded into daily business practices and how this integration is impacting efficiency and work processes.
In alignment with its vision to innovate social media marketing practices, Hotlink has established a five-phase roadmap for AI integration. Currently, the company has mostly completed Phase 01 of incorporating AI into business operations and is actively working on Phase 02, which focuses on developing AI agents for consulting and operations.
Key Findings
Frequency of AI Tool Usage
The results indicate a significant uptick in the adoption of AI services like ChatGPT among employees. A notable 78.3% of staff reported using these tools daily, a 4.4% increase from the previous survey in April 2025. Cumulatively, over 95% of employees utilize AI at least three times a week.
Perceived Effectiveness of AI Services
When asked about the effectiveness of AI tools in enhancing job performance, 52.5% of respondents said they felt their work had improved to some extent. This reflects a consistent level of satisfaction compared to 52.6% noted in the earlier survey. Moreover, 37.5% reported a significant improvement, marking an increase from 33.3% previously.
Efficiency Gains
In terms of time savings, 54.2% of employees reported that AI had allowed them to shorten work hours somewhat. This demonstrates continuous progress in operational efficiency attributed to AI, as 26.7% noted significant reductions in work time.
Quality of Work Output
The quality of work outputs has also seen positive changes, with 56.7% asserting that the precision and persuasiveness of their outputs have somewhat improved due to AI integration. Moreover, 30% affirmed a marked enhancement, indicating that over 85% of employees recognize the added value of AI to their work quality.
Practical Applications of AI
The open-ended responses shed light on how employees are using AI in various capacities. Many noted that they are generating meeting notes and draft proposals through ChatGPT, constructing custom GPTs, and creating personalized tools using GAS and VBA. This suggests a grassroots movement towards embedding AI deeper into individual roles within the company.
Examples Include:
- - Creating tools that integrate CSV data from kintone, enhancing workflow efficiency.
- - Using GPTs for drafting reports and design themes for projects.
- - Building workflows within Slack with the help of Notion AI.
Hotlink’s vision positions generative AI not just as a tool, but as a transformational partner in redefining business structures and processes.
Future Directions
Looking ahead, Hotlink aims to elevate the application of generative AI from mere operational support to a pivotal role in organizational evolution. This includes optimizing AI prompts, facilitating cross-team AI applications, and developing internal support structures for AI product development.
Further initiatives will involve training employees in proficient prompt writing and supporting the establishment of custom GPTs. As the use of generative AI evolves from mere integration to systematic structuring, Hotlink is committed to fostering creative AI applications organization-wide, in line with its mission of setting new standards in social media marketing for the AI age.
About Hotlink
Established on June 26, 2000, Hotlink operates as a core entity of a group engaged in data analysis for social media insights, marketing strategies, and support services across various domains. With a firm commitment to leveraging data analytics for societal betterment, Hotlink is well-positioned to champion innovation in the evolving landscape of marketing.
For more insights on Hotlink’s AI initiatives, you can read related articles on their blog, including strategies for effective AI integration and case studies demonstrating successes achieved through AI utilization.