AI, productivity, and work: Evidence from US firms - CEPR

Most businesses buying AI tools aren't actually investing in AI. They're renting someone else's infrastructure and hoping it solves a problem they haven't fully defined yet. You know that feeling.

Most businesses buying AI tools aren't actually investing in AI.

They're renting someone else's infrastructure and hoping it solves a problem they haven't fully defined yet.


You know that feeling. The $200/month subscription sitting there, barely touched. The team politely nodding when you mention it. The quiet frustration of being a sharp operator who can't quite crack this one thing.

You're not alone — and you're not behind.


New research from US firms reveals something the gurus won't tell you: most AI adopters are seeing small productivity gains because they're plugging in tools without changing how work actually flows. The tool isn't the strategy. It never was.

The companies getting real results started smaller than you'd expect. One specific problem. One measurable outcome. Thirty days to prove it works.

That's it.


Here's your one action this week: Write down the single most repetitive task your team does that involves sorting, summarizing, or responding to information. That's your first AI target. Not your whole operation — just that one task.

Fix that first. Prove the ROI. Then build from there.


What's one task in your business that eats hours every week and feels like it should be automatable by now?

#AIStrategy #SmallBusiness #BusinessGrowth #AIImplementation

Original Source

Capital deepening is low, with most AI adopters renting intangible capital from upstream providers, and near-term employment effects are small on net, ...