- Workers and execs are only getting 14-16 minutes of net time savings from AI, report claims
- Most saved time is being spent fact-checking and validating output
- Most executives say they plan on retraining and upskilling workers
Most execs (89%) and workers (79%) now agree that while AI is improving productivity, but exactly how much time they're saving is up for debate.
New research from Foxit suggests the real time gains could be minimal compared to the potential, simply because of the amount of time workers are having to devote to trusting and understanding AI tools.
Per the report's data, execs have only been gaining 16 minutes per week, and workers just 14 minutes, despite AI's bold claims.
AI isn't actually saving you that much time... yet
On the flip side, execs were spending four hours and 20 minutes validating outputs, with workers spending an equally-significant three hours and 50 minutes checking generated content.
Foxit calls this a 'verification burden', where the time saved by creating content is being offset by fact-checking and making other corrections.
Even though they're spending more time verifying, 60% of executives say they're highly confident in AI outputs, but only around one in three workers are confident. This lack of trust was the second-biggest AI barrier, cited by 34% of workers, with data privacy and security concerns (36%) slightly pipping it. Accuracy concerns (25%) were also raised.
But change could be on the horizon, with nearly three-quarters (72%) of executives focusing on retraining or upskilling employees to handle AI.
"The next phase of document intelligence won’t be defined by more AI features, but by embedding accurate, transparent intelligence directly into workflows," Marketing SVP Evan Reiss wrote, "reducing validation time while keeping humans firmly in control."
