Productivity Effects of Generative AI

The study focused on activities such as drafting sensitive emails, writing cover letters and various analytical tasks, and found that using ChatGPT reduced completion time by 40% and increased output quality by 18%.

The research involved hundreds of consultants, data analysts, grant writers, human resource professionals and marketers. The participants were given writing tasks specific to their profession and their output was evaluated by other professionals in the same field. The evaluators didn't know who had used AI assistance and who hadn't.

Participants noted similarities to their actual job responsibilities, a sign that generative AI is likely to have a significant effect on white-collar work.

In addition, the performance gap between workers who used AI decreased, suggesting that high-performing employees in the future will have skills that are hard for AI to replicate.