The time spent toiling on grunt work like emails increased by 104%, while chatting and messaging climbed by 145%, and using business management tools rose 94%.
There wasn’t a single activity category where using AI actually saved users time, with the report reaffirming that: “The data is unambiguous: AI does not reduce workloads.” Instead, professionals are now multitasking at a greater rate, and spending less of their days concentrating on complex problems.
“The prevailing assumption about AI and modern work is that both make the workday lighter. Shorter. More manageable. AI handles repetitive tasks, collaboration tools reduce friction and employees do more with less effort,” the ActivTrak report notes.
“It’s a compelling story. It’s also not what the behavioral data shows.”
“If you want to work, [it’s] the same way you can go to the store and just buy some vegetables, or you can grow vegetables in your backyard,” he continued. “It’s much harder to grow vegetables in your backyard, and some people still do it because they like growing vegetables.”
While some workers are having luck being more productive with the AI tools, they could be burning themselves out.
