How AI Boosts Productivity by 25% and Quality by 40%
In 2023, researchers from Harvard Business School, Wharton, and MIT partnered with Boston Consulting Group to examine how AI affects productivity and quality among knowledge workers. This robust study of 758 consultants provides essential insights for anyone trying to integrate AI into their professional workflow in today’s fast-changing workplace.
Participants were divided into three groups: one without AI access, one with GPT-4 access, and one with GPT-4 access along with specific training on how to use it effectively. The results were striking: consultants who used AI completed 12.2% more tasks and worked 25.1% faster than those without AI. More importantly, this increase in efficiency came with a 40% improvement in quality, demonstrating that AI can enhance both speed and performance when used effectively.
“Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have faith in people, that they’re good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.”
Key Insight 1: Improvement Correlated with Skill
AI boosted productivity for all participants, but the most significant gains were seen among lower performers, whose productivity increased by 43% compared to 17% for higher performers.
Key Insight 2: AI’s Selective Utility
While AI significantly enhanced performance in many areas, participants relying on AI for tasks where it lacks capability saw their performance decline. This underscores the need for a balanced approach that combines human expertise with AI’s strengths.
Key Insight 3: Two Approaches to AI Integration
Researchers identified two distinct patterns of AI usage, which they labeled as “centaurs” and “cyborgs”:
Centaurs: These users assign specific tasks to AI, using it as a collaborative partner while completing other tasks independently.
Cyborgs: These users fully integrate AI into their workflow, engaging with the technology at every step of the process.
Both groups experienced significant gains in productivity and quality, but neither approach was definitively superior. Instead, the right method depends on the individual’s goals, working style, and the nature of their tasks.
People leveraging AI accomplished 12.2% more tasks, worked 25.1% faster, and performed with an over 40% increase in quality compared to those who didn't use it. WOAH!
Why This Matters for You
Understanding these findings can help you and your team navigate the evolving role of AI in the workplace. Do you see yourself as a centaur, strategically leveraging AI for specific tasks? Or as a cyborg, seamlessly integrating it into every aspect of your work?
Playstorming Tips to Maximize Your AI Effectiveness
For Centaurs: If you use AI for brainstorming or first drafts, ensure your own ideas remain central to the process. Playstorming is designed to amplify your creativity by allowing AI to build on your unique insights, resulting in better outcomes faster.
For Cyborgs: If AI drives every stage of your workflow, it’s essential to retain your unique voice and perspective. Playstorming helps by mining your creativity first, enabling AI to provide tailored, relevant suggestions that align with your goals.
Playstorming’s AI is more than a tool—it’s a key for unlocking unprecedented levels of productivity and innovation. By aligning its capabilities with your unique creativity, you can take charge of your future as a pioneer in this “jagged technological frontier.”
So go on and play up a storm,
The Playstorming Lab
Citation: Dell'Acqua, Fabrizio et al, Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier:
Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality (September 15, 2023).
Harvard Business School Technology & Operations Mgt. Unit Working Paper No. 24-013,
The Wharton School Research Paper, Available at SSRN:
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4573321 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4573321