Nearly Half of Workers Now Spend More Time Managing AI Than Doing Tasks, Study Finds

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Artificial intelligence is changing how employees work, with nearly half of workers now spending more time directing AI tools than performing some tasks themselves, according to a new survey released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

The firm’s fourth annual AI at Work report, based on close to 12,000 workers across more than a dozen markets, found that employees are spending more time reviewing, correcting, managing and directing AI output as the technology moves deeper into daily work.

AI adoption among frontline employees has continued to rise. The survey found that 74% of frontline workers are now regular AI users, up 23 percentage points from two years ago. 

India, the Middle East and Australia lead frontline AI adoption, while France, Italy and the US trail the global average.

The survey also found that 72% believe AI has already significantly changed the skills required in their roles. At the same time, two-thirds of regular AI users said the technology has improved their job satisfaction. However, 41% reported increased cognitive load, highlighting what the report described as a “joy paradox” in which AI makes work both easier and more demanding.

The report found that many organizations are struggling to translate productivity gains into broader business value. Among frontline employees who regularly use AI, 42% said the technology saves them at least one full workday each week. Yet 66% said they receive little or no guidance on how that time should be used, and more than half said they do not redirect it toward strategic work.

“The first wave of AI focused on individual productivity. The coming wave will need to transform collective work,” said Vinciane Beauchene, a managing director and partner at BCG and coauthor of the report. “Everyone is talking about AI replacing work, but it is in fact really about rethinking the human value-add inside. This is the role of leaders.”

The survey also found growing use of AI agents. About 30% of respondents said agents are already integrated into workflows, more than double last year’s 13%. Another 50% said their workplace has run AI agent experiments or pilots. More than six in ten respondents believe agents could do at least half of their job within three years.

BCG said organizations with a clear AI strategy reported stronger results than those focused primarily on deploying tools. 

“Employees don’t push back on AI intensity; they thrive when the strategy is clear, the direction is real, and the message reaches them,” said Sylvain Duranton, global leader of BCG X and coauthor of the report.

According to BCG’s release, strategic clarity increased measurable business impact by 25 percentage points, while better tools alone increased impact by about five percentage points.