Source: Alexander Bick, et al., “The Impact of Generative AI on Work Productivity,” The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, February 27, 2025.
Commentary: A survey conducted in November 2024 by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis finds that generative AI has become widely adopted in the workplace, with 28 percent of respondents reporting to have used the technology at least once in the last month. Within this sample, nearly one-third reported using generative AI for over one hour daily. Users of generative AI have also reported substantial time saved at work. Of those who used generative AI at least once over the past week, 20.5 percent reported saving four hours or more in work time per week. The time-saving effect was even greater with daily users, with 33.5 percent reporting four or more hours of working time saved in the previous week. However, time savings haven’t translated into productivity gains, as official productivity statistics show no marked increase caused by the new technology. It is possible that time saved from generative AI use is now being used for on-the-job leisure, which increases welfare but not productivity.
