Employees Using AI Work Up to 90 Minutes Longer Each Day, Data Shows

Workers who use artificial intelligence tools are spending significantly more time on digital tasks than those who do not. Instead of saving time, heavy AI users are logging up to 90 minutes of extra work every day.

Data from the workplace software company ActivTrak shows that employees who used AI averaged between 8.42 and 9.08 hours of digital work daily. In comparison, workers who did not use AI averaged 7.58 hours. ActivTrak reviewed digital work activity from 9,140 knowledge workers across 467 companies between April 1 and September 25, 2026.

The most pronounced patterns appeared among heavy AI users, defined as employees who interacted with AI tools for more than 45 minutes across at least five sessions a day. These heavy users logged 18 extra minutes of work after normal hours. They also switched between different computer applications 15.2% more often than non-users. Furthermore, heavy users averaged only 37.8 minutes of uninterrupted focus, while light users maintained 48.2 minutes of focus.

The data revealed an association between AI use and longer workdays, rather than a proven cause. Researchers noted two possible explanations for the trend: employees who already worked longer hours might have been more eager to adopt AI tools, or the technology may have enabled workers to take on a larger volume of tasks. Because the dataset relies on observational information from ActivTrak's customer base, the results might not apply to hourly workers, union members, or companies using different workplace monitoring systems.

Field research from the University of California, Berkeley, provides a similar qualitative picture of how workers handle AI. Researchers Xingqi Maggie Ye and Aruna Ranganathan spent eight months embedded at a technology company with roughly 200 employees, conducting more than 40 interviews. Their study found that generative AI did not free up employee time. Instead, workers moved faster, expanded the scope of their jobs, used AI during former break periods, and kept multiple AI-assisted projects running at the same time, often without being told to do so.

The Berkeley researchers warned that these short-term productivity gains might be difficult to sustain if performance expectations and mental demands continue to rise. These findings have also fueled a broader political debate about who truly benefits from AI-driven efficiency. Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay, arguing that the financial rewards of automation should help working families instead of just corporate leaders. Ultimately, the findings suggest that when tasks are completed faster, the overall task list often grows right along with it.

Summary

While artificial intelligence tools are marketed as time-saving helpers, recent workplace data and field studies show that employees often use the saved time to take on extra responsibilities and work longer hours. This highlights a growing gap between individual task speed and overall worker workload.