How artificial intelligence is boosting productivity in professional work

What studies reveal

Recent research by teams from MIT, Stanford, and Harvard shows that AI tools can increase speed, quality, and productivity across a range of professional tasks. These findings illustrate AI’s so-called multiplier effect: when technology takes over part of a process, workers can accomplish more in the same amount of time.

Real-world experiments and their results

In 2023, Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang of MIT published a study in the journal Science involving 453 university professionals. The group that used ChatGPT for work-related writing tasks finished 40% faster on average and achieved 18% better quality results.

Another study, published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics in 2025 by Erik Brynjolfsson, Danielle Li, and Lindsey Raymond, analyzed 5,172 customer service agents. With access to an AI assistant, employees resolved 15% more issues per hour on average. Less experienced workers saw greater improvements in speed and quality, while more experienced workers recorded smaller gains and even slight declines in quality.

A 2026 experiment published in Organization Science evaluated 758 consultants from the Boston Consulting Group on 18 tasks compatible with GPT-4. Professionals who used the tool completed 12.2% more tasks, worked 25.1% faster, and delivered higher-quality results.

When AI enhances individual capabilities

The technology doesn’t replace professionals but reduces the time spent on repetitive or organizational tasks. With an AI tool, a worker can create an initial structure, summarize documents, or organize information, freeing up more time for analysis and decision-making.

Examples of practical applications include:

• generating a first draft of a document;
• summarizing extensive materials;
• organizing information;
• comparing alternatives;
• analyzing data;
• automating repetitive tasks;
• adapting the same content for different formats.

After the AI produces a draft, the professional reviews the result and uses the saved time for activities that require human knowledge and judgment.

Limitations and risks of implementation

Productivity isn’t automatic. In the study with consultants, complex management tasks beyond AI’s capabilities resulted in a 19 percentage point lower probability of success. Researchers call this a “ragged technological frontier,” meaning AI can be highly effective in one task but problematic in another that seems similar.

Success therefore depends on identifying which steps can be delegated to technology and which require human experience, context, and decision-making.

How to turn gains into real capabilities

The multiplier effect is realized when saved time is reinvested in high-value activities. The professional’s role shifts from manual executor to goal setter, tool advisor, result verifier, and decision-maker.

In summary, artificial intelligence can reduce execution time, increase the volume of completed tasks, or improve the quality of results in specific activities. However, the gain isn’t universal—it depends on how and where AI is used.