Charted: Productivity Gains from Using AI for Tasks
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Key Takeaways
- Across all tasks, using generative AI reduces the time taken to complete them by at least 60%
- Technical and analytical tasks like troubleshooting, programming, and technology design saw significant productivity gains
- Even human-centric tasks like instructing, management of personnel, and judgement and decision-making benefitted from AI tools
As AI tools become increasingly integrated—and in some cases, even mandated—into professional workflows, their real-world impact on productivity is becoming more evident.
This chart compares the average time it takes U.S. adults to complete 18 common work tasks with and without the use of generative AI, based on a December 2024 survey of 4,278 respondents conducted by Stanford University and the World Bank.
Generative AI Improves Productivity by Over 60%
Across all tasks, using generative AI reduced the average time taken to complete them by more than 60%.
Here’s how much time using generative AI saved across 18 common work tasks, in average number of minutes:
Some of the largest gains came from highly technical or analytical tasks. For example, troubleshooting saw a 76% reduction in time, while critical thinking, programming, and technology design all showed over 70% time savings with generative AI.
Interestingly, even human-centric tasks—such as instructing, judgment and decision-making, and management of personnel—benefited from AI tools, with time reductions ranging from 60–70%.
Accelerating Work With AI
While AI is often framed as a replacement for human labor, this data shows that human workers empowered by AI can do the same tasks far more efficiently.
Writing, for example, dropped from an average of 80 minutes to just 25 minutes with generative AI. For complex cognitive functions like mathematics, systems analysis, and operations, AI reduced the time taken to complete tasks by over an hour.
Furthermore, AI adoption is increasing rapidly. According to the survey, LLM adoption at work for respondents aged 18 or older increased from 30% in December 2024 to over 43% as of March/April 2025.
If this trajectory continues, AI-driven productivity gains could scale from individual tasks to entire organizations, and potentially reshaping broader economic outcomes.
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