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Shifting Work Patterns with Generative AI

Author

Listed:
  • Eleanor Wiske Dillon
  • Sonia Jaffe
  • Nicole Immorlica
  • Christopher T. Stanton

Abstract

We present evidence from a field experiment across 66 firms and 7,137 knowledge workers. Workers were randomly selected to access a generative AI tool integrated into applications they already used at work for email, meetings, and writing. In the second half of the 6-month experiment, the 80% of treated workers who used this tool spent two fewer hours on email each week and reduced their time working outside of regular hours. Apart from these individual time savings, we do not detect shifts in the quantity or composition of workers' tasks resulting from individual-level AI provision.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleanor Wiske Dillon & Sonia Jaffe & Nicole Immorlica & Christopher T. Stanton, 2025. "Shifting Work Patterns with Generative AI," Papers 2504.11436, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2025.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2504.11436
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jian Xue & Qian Zhang & Wu Zhu, 2025. "Generative AI for Analysts," Papers 2512.19705, arXiv.org.
    2. Fouarge, Didier & Fregin, Marie-Christine & Janssen, Simon & Levels, Mark & Montizaan, Raymond & Özgül, Pelin & Rounding, Nicholas & Stops, Michael, 2025. "How AI-Augmented Training Improves Worker Productivity," IZA Discussion Papers 18224, IZA Network @ LISER.
    3. Keh-Kuan Sun, 2026. "When AI Improves Answers but Slows Knowledge Creation: Matching and Dynamic Knowledge Creation in Digital Public Goods," Papers 2604.00468, arXiv.org.
    4. Lukas Althoff & Hugo Reichardt, 2026. "Task-Specific Technical Change and Comparative Advantage," CESifo Working Paper Series 12403, CESifo.
    5. David M. Rothschild & Jake M. Hofman & Markus Mobius & Brendan Lucier & Eleanor Dillon & Daniel G. Goldstein & Nicole Immorlica & Aleksandrs Slivkins, 2026. "From Augmentation to Reconstruction: Guiding the AI Disruption to the Good Place," Papers 2605.29207, arXiv.org.
    6. David Rothschild, 2025. "Comment on "The Coasean Singularity? Demand, Supply, and Market Design with AI Agents"," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Transformative AI, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Anais Galdin & Jesse Silbert, 2025. "Making Talk Cheap: Generative AI and Labor Market Signaling," Papers 2511.08785, arXiv.org.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • M1 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration
    • M15 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - IT Management
    • M5 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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