Is AI actually making work more efficient?

There’s no doubt that AI is making work faster across the corporate world, according to a report published yesterday by HR software company Workday.

But data also shows that AI is simultaneously creating more work for its human coworkers, who are now forced to spend extra time cleaning up messy AI outputs.

By the numbers

Workday surveyed 3,200 employees who said they are using AI—half in leadership positions—at companies in North America, Europe, and Asia with $100+ million in revenue and 150+ employees.

• Their report found that 87% of employees are using AI at least a few times a week, while 46% use it daily.
• 77% of employees report they are more productive due to AI use over the past year, with the vast majority (85%) saying they personally save 1-7 hours/week on their tasks.

However…While AI is helping employees complete tasks faster, the report found these productivity gains alone don’t necessarily translate to better outcomes, since AI also quietly absorbs a lot of time and energy to fix its mistakes.

• Some 37% of employees’ time savings due to AI end up being lost to "rework," or extra time spent on correcting errors, rewriting content, and verifying the outputs of AI tools.
• Workday found just 14% of respondents say they get consistently net-positive outcomes from AI use.

Zoom out: Workday’s findings line up with a recent MIT study that found companies’ productivity gains from AI have been mostly underwhelming thus far, despite the tech’s transformative potential.