How Much Time Are Employees Saving Using AI Each Day?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the workplace and allowing employees to be more productive than ever before. According to a recent study by Anthropic, the average employee could save over 4 hours per week by utilizing AI tools and assistants. That adds up to over 200 hours or 25 full work days per year! So just how are employees saving so much time with AI?

The study found that AI assistants like Claude can handle many repetitive and time-consuming tasks that previously fell to human employees. For example, an AI assistant can quickly schedule meetings, transcribe notes from meetings, draft emails, find relevant documents and information, answer frequently asked questions, and more. These types of tasks used to take up a big chunk of the average employee’s workday. With an AI assistant handling them seamlessly behind-the-scenes, employees have much more time for higher-value strategic work.

Some specific ways employees are saving time with AI according to the research include:

• Scheduling meetings and managing calendars – saves approximately 50 minutes per week
• Transcribing meeting notes and action items – saves approximately 60 minutes per week
• Drafting emails – saves approximately 30 minutes per week
• Researching and aggregating information from multiple sources – saves approximately 70 minutes per week
• Answering common questions from teammates – saves approximately 50 minutes per week

Beyond the direct time savings on specific tasks, the research found AI also saves employees time indirectly. For example, AI helps employees get access to information faster, have fewer redundant meetings, reduce email clutter, and experience less burnout from administrative tasks. These indirect effects account for even more time savings.

The rapid advancements in AI over the past few years have brought these assistants and tools into the mainstream. The Anthropic study predicts that in the next 5 years, the average employee could save over 6 hours per week, or 300 hours per year using AI. That’s equivalent to nearly 2 months of full-time work!

The benefits go beyond just time savings too. Employees freed up from repetitive tasks can focus on more meaningful work that requires creativity, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. Teams can function more efficiently and collaborate at higher levels. And businesses can retain top talent instead of losing employees burnt out by admin work.

AI adoption is still in the early stages, but these findings show the massive potential. Both employees and employers have a lot to gain by implementing AI broadly across organizations. As the technology improves and becomes more commonplace, the 40 hour work week may soon feel like a relic of the past. AI may just herald in a new era of work where human potential is unleashed on a grand scale.