The Real Gains from AI: Why Employees, Not Corporations, are Reaping the Benefits
Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has rapidly entered the workplace, with companies promising increased productivity and efficiency.
However, I recently read an article that noted that despite the widespread adoption of AI tools, many corporate leaders are getting frustrated. Even though workers are self-reporting AI use, the suits at the top aren’t able to pinpoint where the promised productivity gains are going.
I think I have an idea why.
The AI Adoption Landscape
The tendrils of AI are seeping into many professional sectors. Studies from both the EU and the United States reveal a significant percentage of workers are actively using AI tools to improve their workflows. For example, 65% of marketers, 64% of journalists, and 30% of lawyers in Denmark have reported using AI at work. A study of American workers in August 2024 found that a third of respondents had used generative AI in the previous week alone, with ChatGPT leading the pack as the most popular tool, followed by Google’s Gemini (Mollick, 2024).
As Mollick (2024) notes, workers are reporting significant time savings on routine tasks, allowing them to work more efficiently. For example, consultants using GPT-4…
