WORK, RECONSIDEREDAN ESSAY IN NUMBERS / 01

Less busywork.
More human.

We didn’t dream of growing up to clear an inbox.
AI can help make room for the work—and the life—we actually want.

Make the case
LESS REPETITION.MORE IMAGINATION.MORE LIFE.

There’s a better
use of your time.

People using AI are already reporting something valuable: more space to create, focus, and enjoy their work.

Microsoft + LinkedIn’s 2024 Work Trend Index. Responses among AI users in a knowledge-worker survey. [1]

5.9hours
SAVED PER WEEK, ON AVERAGE
0 hours6 hours

Estimated by U.S. public K–12 teachers who use AI at least weekly. Gallup / Walton Family Foundation, 2025. [2]

More “I get it.”
Less “I’m still
working.”

Teachers who use AI regularly estimate saving nearly six hours a week. They describe putting that time into better student feedback, more personal lessons, and getting home to their families earlier.

That’s what progress can feel like.

Read the classroom research

Keep the part
you love.

Think about the reason you chose your work.
Now imagine more of your day spent there.

LET AI HELP WITH
  • First drafts of practice questions
  • Routine class updates
  • Adapting lesson materials
MAKE MORE ROOM FOR

That moment a
student lights up.

Help a student understand. Build their confidence. Make a lesson come alive.

Illustrative possibilities. Results depend on the task, tools, and human review. Time saved should benefit the people doing the work.

A job is more
than a task.

Most jobs contain a mix of tasks. AI may help with some of them, while people continue to bring context, care, and judgment.

The International Labour Organization finds that job transformation is the most likely impact of generative AI, because human input remains necessary across most occupations.

Explore the ILO findings
1 in 4

Workers worldwide are in occupations
with some exposure to generative AI.

SOME POTENTIAL FOR TASKS TO CHANGE

An estimate of technological exposure—not a count of jobs lost. ILO / NASK, May 2025. [3]

THE FUTURE IS A CHOICE WE MAKE.

Let’s make room
for being human.

AI can be part of the solution to an overloaded workday. The opportunity is real. So is our responsibility to make it work for people.

Teach new skills.Give workers a voice.Share the time saved.

Some roles will be disrupted or displaced. Better work takes thoughtful choices, support through transitions, and benefits that reach the people doing it.

Optimism.
With receipts.

The numbers behind the story.
Open a study for context and methodology.

[01]Microsoft + LinkedInWork Trend Index · May 8, 2024

Among AI users surveyed, 90% said AI helps them save time, 84% said it helps them be more creative, and 83% said it helps them enjoy their work more.

Context: Edelman Data & Intelligence surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed knowledge workers across 31 markets, February 15–March 28, 2024. These are self-reported benefits among AI users, not measured effects for all workers. The research is sponsored by Microsoft and LinkedIn.

Read the original report
[02]Gallup + Walton Family FoundationTeaching for Tomorrow · June 24, 2025

U.S. public K–12 teachers who use AI at least weekly estimated saving an average of 5.9 hours per week. Qualitative responses described using saved time for individualized lessons, student feedback, and family life.

Context: The study surveyed 2,232 U.S. public-school teachers recruited from RAND’s American Teacher Panel, March 18–April 11, 2025. Time changes were estimated by teachers in half-hour increments across nonoverlapping tasks. The figure applies to weekly AI users; it is not a measured causal effect or an estimate for every teacher.

Read the original report
[03]International Labour Organization + NASKGlobal Index of Occupational Exposure · May 20, 2025

The ILO estimates that one in four workers worldwide is in an occupation with some generative AI exposure. Job transformation is the most likely overall impact, because most occupations contain tasks that still need human input.

Context: This index combines task assessments, worker and expert input, AI scoring, and employment data. Exposure represents potential changes to tasks. It does not measure actual adoption, displacement, or job creation.

Read the original report

Research published in 2024–2025. The studies cover different populations and methods; their results should not be added together or treated as economy-wide forecasts.