Artificial intelligence is often pitched as a workplace time-saver, promising to help employees move faster through routine assignments. New federal data offers a clearer look at just how much time workers say the technology is actually giving back.
Roughly 55% of workers report using AI on the job, and about one-third of that group say the tools reduce the time needed to finish a typical task by one to two hours, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
How are workers using AI on the job?
Employees said they rely on AI for a range of workplace duties, from drafting written material and brainstorming ideas to researching information and handling administrative work.
The Census Bureau data shows workers most commonly use AI at work in the following ways:
Smaller percentages of workers said they use AI for coding, medical care, logistics management or supply chain-related tasks, the Census Bureau found.
The results come from a weekly national Census Bureau survey of individuals and households that tracks issues such as employment, food and nutrition, and transportation.
How much time does AI save workers?
Still, not every worker reports dramatic productivity gains. Among employees who use AI at work, one in four said the technology saved them less than an hour on a task compared with how long it would have taken without AI.
A smaller share, at 15%, of workers saw even greater efficiency gains, saying that AI cut their workloads by three hours per task. An additional 15% said it saved them four hours.
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To be sure, it can take time for employees to learn to use new technology like AI, which can initially add hours to the time required to complete a task. Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that AI adoption in manufacturing initially decreases productivity before ultimately helping workers achieve long-term gains.
Economists use the “J-curve” model to explain the phenomenon. The productivity trajectory, in the shape of the letter J, reflects the period when considerable resources are committed to learning and investing in new technologies, with productivity initially dipping before rising exponentially.
Aimee Picchi
