Cited by 209Labor market dynamics and wage inequalityArtificial Intelligence ApplicationsEconomic Growth and Productivity

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 33 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 39 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI

Open access
Bick, Alexander, Blandin, Adam, Deming, David·2024·NBER Working Paper

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a potentially important new technology, but its impact on the economy depends on the speed and intensity of adoption.This paper reports results from a series of nationally representative U.S. surveys of generative AI use at work and at home.As of late 2024, nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population age 18-64 uses generative AI. 23 percent of employed respondents had used generative AI for work at least once in the previous week, and 9 percent used it every work day.Relative to each technology's first mass-market product launch, work adoption of generative AI has been as fast as the personal computer (PC), and overall adoption has been faster than either PCs or the internet.Generative AI and PCs have very similar early adoption patterns by education, occupation, and other characteristics.Between 1 and 5 percent of all work hours are currently assisted by generative AI, and respondents report time savings equivalent to 1.4 percent of total work hours.This suggests that substantial productivity gains from generative AI are possible.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Using nationally representative U.S. surveys fielded in August and November 2024, the paper finds that nearly 40% of adults age 18–64 use generative AI, with 23% of employed respondents using it for work in the previous week. Adoption has been as fast as PCs at work and faster overall than PCs or the internet, with estimated time savings equivalent to 1.4% of total work hours and a potential aggregate productivity gain of about 1.1%.

Key findings

  • As of August and November 2024, 39.6% of respondents used generative AI either for work or outside work; 26.5% of employed respondents used it for work, including 9.0% every workday and 13.9% on some but not all workdays. Outside work, 35.5% used it, but only 5.2% every day.
  • Work adoption of generative AI after two years (27%) was similar to PC work adoption after three years (25%), while non-work adoption was much higher for generative AI (34%) than PCs (5%). Overall adoption was faster than both PCs and the internet.
  • Between 1 and 5 percent of all U.S. work hours involved direct generative AI use. Among users, mean time savings were 5.4% of work hours; including non-users, 1.4% of total hours. A standard aggregate production model implies a potential productivity gain of 1.1% using an AI-exposure-adjusted labor share of 0.57 (or 1.9% before that adjustment).
  • Adoption patterns by education, age, occupation, and industry closely matched early PC adoption; predicted task exposure from Eloundou et al. (2024) correlated with actual adoption at ρ = 0.67. The most useful work tasks were writing (39.5%), administrative tasks (25.6%), and interpreting/translating/summarizing (22.7%).

Methods

  • Main data are the Real-Time Population Survey (RPS), an online national labor market survey of U.S. adults age 18–64, fielded in August 2024 (N = 5,014) and November 2024 (N = 5,329), with a combined sample of more than 10,000 respondents. The paper also validates results using the December 2024 Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA, N = 4,698).
  • The RPS mirrors the Current Population Survey (CPS) in question wording and structure; sample weights are constructed via raking to align with CPS demographic, employment, and occupational composition. The final weighted sample is 96.3% of initially collected responses.
  • Generative AI questions measure work and non-work use, frequency, daily time spent, products used, tasks helped, and self-reported time savings. Comparisons to PCs and the internet use CPS Computer and Internet Use supplement data from 1984–2003 and 2001–2009, plus ITU internet data. Aggregate productivity estimates use a Cobb-Douglas production model.

Limitations

  • The paper states that its data cannot distinguish whether higher wages among intensive generative AI users reflect task variation, worker selection, or direct productivity/wage effects. It also cautions that potential productivity gains may not appear in statistics if workers take time savings as on-the-job leisure, and that firm adoption lags far behind worker adoption.
  • The aggregate productivity calculation assumes all time savings are internalized as higher worker output and that labor supply is perfectly substitutable across workers; the paper notes imperfect substitution would reduce the estimated impact.
  • The RPS uses a commercial online panel that is not a random sample, though the authors weight it to be nationally representative and validate it against the CPS and SWAA. The text also notes that NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and have not been peer-reviewed.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3386/w32966

Cites

33 of 33 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 39 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 105 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 59
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 32
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 2
81 of 81
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In October 1984, the CPS launched a supplemental module to study computer adoption.

    “In October 1984, the CPS launched a supplemental module to study the adoption of a new technology: the computer.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Respondents' self-reported time savings accurately measure the actual time savings from using genAI.

    “We ask users how many additional hours they would have needed to complete the same amount of work in the previous week if they had not had access to genAI.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Time saved by genAI translates one-to-one into aggregate productivity gains.

    “Using a standard model of aggregate production, we estimate a potential aggregate productivity gain of 1.1 percent at current levels of worker genAI usage.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The choice of whether to adopt a given technology is a function of both its benefits and its cost.

    “The choice of whether to adopt a given technology is a function of both its benefits and its cost.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    PC adoption required the purchase of relatively expensive hardware that was initially not very mobile, implying a substantial cost of adoption.

    “PC adoption required the purchase of relatively expensive hardware that was initially not very mobile, implying a substantial cost of adoption.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Internet adoption required the purchase of a modem and an Internet Service Provider subscription.

    “Internet adoption required the purchase of a modem and an Internet Service Provider subscription.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Many genAI products are currently free or inexpensive and user-friendly.

    “By contrast, many genAI products are currently free or inexpensive and user-friendly.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Online-based surveys may suffer from selection based on unobservable characteristics that are correlated with genAI use.

    “A potential concern with online-based surveys is that they may suffer from selection based on unobservable characteristics that are correlated with genAI use.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The first mass-market computer was the IBM PC, which was released in August 1981.

    “The first mass-market computer was the IBM PC, which was released in August 1981.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The first mass-market genAI product was ChatGPT, which was released in November 2022.

    “The first mass-market genAI product was ChatGPT, which was released in November 2022.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The AI-exposure-adjusted labor share is 0.57.

    “If we assume an AI-exposure-adjusted labor share of 0.57, following Acemoglu (2024), the implied potential productivity gain is 1.1%.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    There is no change in TFP, capital, and hours worked.

    “Assuming no change in TFP, capital, and hours worked, the percent change in aggregate productivity from genAI equals the percent change in aggregate output.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    Labor supply is perfectly substitutable across workers.

    “We also assume above that labor supply is perfectly substitutable across workers.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    All gains from genAI are internalized as higher worker output rather than increased leisure.

    “However, we caution that this assumes all of the gains are internalized as higher worker output rather than increased leisure.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The economy's aggregate output is modeled using a Cobb-Douglas aggregate production function.

    “We model the economy's aggregate output using a Cobb-Douglas aggregate production function where labor supply is perfectly substitutable across workers.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    In a competitive labor market, each worker is paid their marginal product of labor.

    “In a competitive labor market, each worker is paid their marginal product of labor:”
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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • RPS outside-of-work adoption is reported as both 35.5% and 33.7%

    Minor

    The RPS results give two different outside-of-work adoption rates. The 33.7% figure also matches the components shown for that bar in Figure 2a (6.6% + 21.9% + 5.2%).

  • Women's early PC adoption advantage does not match Figure 5c

    Minor

    Figure 5c gives PC adoption rates of 29.6% for women and 21.6% for men, a difference of 8.0 percentage points rather than 6.

    Reported 6 · recomputed 8

  • Figure 11b is described as both an industry and occupation comparison

    Minor

    The text says both panels 11b and 11c plot results by industry, whereas the figure notes specify that panel 11b is by occupation and panel 11c is by industry.

  • Figure 3 describes overall adoption as work adoption

    Minor

    Figure 3's note calls its series usage rates at work, but the discussion identifies the genAI point as the overall adoption rate, and the paper says its internet data do not distinguish work from non-work use.

4 of 4

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Metadata

Authors
Bick, A., Blandin, A., & Deming, D.
Affiliations
  • Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (US)
  • Vanderbilt University (US)
  • National Bureau of Economic Research (US)
Venue
NBER Working Paper
Published
2024-09
OpenAlex
W4402736895
Cited by
200
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 130 · 2025: 67 · 2024: 3
Type
report
Language
en
Open access
Locations
National Bureau of Economic Research (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Artificial Intelligence Applications
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic Growth and Productivity
Keywords
generative AI, technology adoption, productivity improvement, time savings

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