A new study conducted by OpenAI has revealed interesting insights into the efficiency of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Based on a survey of more than 9,000 employees from 100 companies, workers who use AI tools save an average of 40–60 minutes per day on routine tasks. Three-quarters of the participants stated that the technology significantly improves both the speed and quality of their work. Productivity gains are especially notable in fields such as data science, engineering, communications, and accounting.
One of the most striking findings of the study is that AI enables people to perform tasks they previously could not. For example, there has been a significant increase in non-technical employees attempting to write code or complete programming tasks. OpenAI’s chief economist describes this as an important — though often overlooked — transformation in the modern workplace.
However, debates over AI’s actual value to businesses continue. Earlier reports from institutions such as MIT and Harvard suggested that companies have not yet fully recouped their investments and argued that AI sometimes generates “workslop,” meaning low-quality or unnecessary output. In response to such criticism, companies like OpenAI and its competitor Anthropic have begun sharing positive metrics more frequently to demonstrate the economic benefits of the technology.
