CEOs Aren't Seeing Any AI Productivity Gains, Yet Some Tech Industry Leaders Are Still Convinced AI Will Destroy White Collar Work Within Two Years
ITPro, Friday, February 20th, 2026
A massive survey by National Bureau of Economic Research shows limited AI impact, but continued hopes it'll boost productivity eventually
Most companies are yet to record any AI productivity gains despite widespread adoption of the technology.
That's according to a massive survey by the US National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), which asked 6,000 executives from a range of firms across the US, UK, Germany, and Australia how they use AI.
The study found 70% of companies actively use AI, but the picture is different among execs themselves. Among top executives - including CFOs and CEOs - a quarter don't use the technology at all, while two-thirds say they use it for 1.5 hours a week at most.