How much does AI improve work efficiency? Managers and employees disagree

January 23, 2026 Yanac

A new survey conducted by AI consulting firm Section among 5,000 white-collar workers in the US, UK, and Canada shows a clear gap between how company management and employees perceive the benefits of AI at work, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Over 40% of C-level executives say the technology saves them more than eight hours per week. At the same time, two-thirds of employees without managerial roles say AI saves them less than two hours per week, or no time at all.

Many employees instead describe AI as stressful and difficult to use correctly, often because AI-generated material must be checked, corrected, or redone.

What’s more, there are few economic effects visible at the moment. In a global CEO survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers with nearly 4,500 participants, only 12% said that AI has so far resulted in both cost savings and increased revenue. Over half see no clear business benefit at all.