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Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta · March 2026

How Might AI Change the Workplace? Evidence from Corporate Executives (Policy Hub: Macroblog)

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's How Might AI Change the Workplace? Evidence from Corporate Executives (Policy Hub: Macroblog) (March 2026; n=748, fielded Nov 11 – Dec 16, 2025 (main); supplemental Dec 2025 – Jan 2026) found that ~60% of responding firms invested in AI in 2025 (about 80% of large firms).

Read the original report ↗Cite2 min read · Summary updated
AI raised reported productivity in 2025 but barely changed headcountAverage change in firm outcomes attributed to AI, 2025 (percent)
Decision speed/accuracy
1.9%
Output per worker
1.8%
Time spent on high value-added tasks
1.4%
Customer satisfaction or retention
0.8%
Revenue or sales
0.7%
Total employment
0.0%
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, How Might AI Change the Workplace? Evidence from Corporate Executives, 2026, Figure 5.

Key findings

  1. 01
    More than 80% of firms expect to invest in AI in 2026; about 30% of large firms expect to spend over $1 million.
  2. 02
    Firms reported negligible AI-driven employment changes in 2025; expected 2026 effects are near zero overall, about -0.8% at large firms.
  3. 03
    Firms reported roughly 1.8% productivity gains in 2025, though revenue-based measures showed substantially smaller effects.

By the numbers

~60%of responding firms invested in AI in 2025 (about 80% of large firms)
1.8%average reported increase in output per worker from AI in 2025
0.8%employment reduction large firms expect in 2026 as a result of AI; the all-firm average is close to zero
Share of firms investing in AI in 2025, by firm sizePercent of responding firms that invested in AI, 2025 (large = 500+ employees)
Large firms
80%
All firms
58%
Small firms
51%
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, How Might AI Change the Workplace? Evidence from Corporate Executives, 2026, Figure 2.

What it means for you Draft

For executives at $10–100M companies

Finance leaders are spending on AI mainly for productivity, not to cut staff, and the measured payoff so far is modest. That is a useful reality check for a mid-sized firm setting expectations with its board. A few percent of productivity, earned steadily, is a reasonable goal.

Limitations

High trust.Established executive panel, transparent method and authors; modest n and self-reported gains. Publishers do not sell AI.

The headline figure measures the “Approved” stage of adoption (sanctioned in a function).Why adoption numbers disagree

Cite the original

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. "How Might AI Change the Workplace? Evidence from Corporate Executives (Policy Hub: Macroblog)." March 25, 2026. https://www.atlantafed.org/research-and-data/publications/policy-hub-macroblog/2026/03/25/how-might-ai-change-the-workplace-evidence-from-corporate-executives

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