The AI at Work Fact Book

of the work week goes to searching for information, about 9 to 10 hours.

of the work day goes to coordinating work: email, chat, meetings, searching and status checks.

a week in meetings for the average worker, depending on the study. Managers report about 22.

to get back to an interrupted task, usually after about two other tasks.

of the work week goes to email alone. Chat adds more on top.

a week lost getting back on track after switching between apps.

a week spent redoing work that someone has already done.

of work hours saved, by AI users' own estimate: about 1 to 2 hours a week.

less time on a defined writing task with AI, and the work graded 18 to 34% better.

more customer issues resolved per hour with an AI assistant, in one firm's study.

faster in company trials. All studies together run from 19% slower to 56% faster.

gain for the newest or weakest workers, against 0 to 17% for the strongest.

worse results on tasks the AI handles poorly: fewer correct answers, or more time.

of US workers use generative AI for their job. About 14 to 15% use it daily.

of AI-using workers use it for writing or editing, the top use at work.

of US tech workers use AI for work, against about 20% in hands-on service jobs.

points more AI use at work among college graduates than among workers without a degree.

points more men than women use generative AI; men are 16 to 22% more likely.

of AI-using workers use at least some AI tools their employer did not provide.

of workers say their employer has brought in AI tools; 25 to 40% report a clear plan or policy.

of workers trust AI output at work, depending on how strictly trust is defined.

of AI users, or of their AI tasks, go without routine checking of the output.

of AI answers had a hallucination or significant error on realistic professional questions.

want AI to work alone (about 2%) or to lead. Most prefer an equal partnership.

of workers have used AI in ways that break company policy.

of workers say they have put company information into public AI tools.

of organizations report a breach of, or attack on, their own AI in the past year.

of businesses in the US, EU and UK have fewer than 50 people.

of small businesses use AI, mostly for writing and marketing.

points more AI use in large firms than in small ones (1.4 to 3.2 times as likely).

of small firms with no AI plans say AI does not apply to their business.

of AI-using small firms say AI raised productivity, by their own account.

a week worked by small business owners, about 10 more than employees.

of companies use AI, from Romania (5%) to Denmark (42%); EU average 20%.

of workers used generative AI for work, from Romania (9%) to the Netherlands (37%); EU 22%.

points more US workers than European workers use generative AI for their job.

view AI at work positively, by country, from Portugal (48%) to Denmark (86%); EU 62%.

of companies say they understand what the AI Act requires; 71% of German firms feel poorly informed.

of firms that use or considered AI cite data protection as an obstacle.

times more private AI investment in the US than in Europe (2025).