Research finds AI has already automated job tasks for one in five US workers

A new survey has found that 27 percent of workers have had parts of their jobs automated by AI, and 21 percent say artificial intelligence has created more on-the-job work.

AI use has exploded in recent years, and millions of us turn to chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude for anything from recipe ideas to budgeting advice. 

But it’s also increasingly being used in the workplace, with the report finding that half of all Americans who used AI in the last week used it as much for work as they did personal tasks. 

And in some cases, it’s even been taking over parts of the job.

US workers have said AI has automated existing tasks and created more in-job work

As AI use increases, there have been concerns raised about its potential to replace human workers.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has recently said that he expects to see a staggering 7.5 million AI agents working alongside just 75,000 humans in his company within the next decade. 

Earlier this year, Microsoft compiled a list of the 40 jobs most at risk of becoming obsolete due to AI. 

Now, a new survey from Epoch AI and Ipsos has looked into AI use in the workplace. 

More than 2,000 US adults were surveyed, with around half saying they had used AI in the last week. 

Of those who used AI, 27 percent said AI had replaced parts of their jobs. 

The poll didn’t collect detailed examples of specific tasks, but suggested that the results showed an early representative glimpse of how AI is reshaping the workplace.

And one AI expert has said the findings should sound the alarm for policymakers.

“When one in five workers say AI is already replacing parts of their job, we can start talking about labor market restructuring happening in real time,” AI policy leader at the Global Policy on Artificial Intelligence, Nichols Miailhe, told NBC.

“The fact that replacement seems to be outpacing augmentation should draw our attention: the policy window to shape how AI transforms work is probably closing faster than most governments realize.”

Some studies have suggested artificial intelligence in the workplace might not be as helpful as you’d expect

Alongside those who had AI replace some of their existing tasks, 21 percent said they had taken on new tasks because of it.

And almost half of these said this additional work was introduced without any of their existing tasks being automated; in short, AI had actually created more work. 

Which seems to be a bit of a trend, according to one study.

Recent research from ActivTrak found that AI actually resulted in employees working harder than before. 

The researchers analyzed the digital work activity of 164,000 workers covering 443 million hours of work from more than 1,100 employers, both 180 days before and after workers began using AI tools. 

ActivTrak found that AI ‘intensified activity across nearly every category’. 

Meanwhile, a recent study from Boston Consulting Group found that regular use of AI agents in the workplace can cause ‘brain fry’. 

The team found that workers experienced mental fatigue caused by ‘excessive use or oversight of AI tools beyond one’s cognitive capacity’.

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