The impact of Artificial Intelligence on work in general is fundamental. It has been transforming organizations worldwide since several years now and the dynamics continue. However, broader headlines in the media almost never paint the full picture. Nuance and empirical data are key when assessing AI at Work.
„Understanding AI’s effects on the economy“ is the headline of Anthropic’s index. The data is comprehensive, and it includes data on the automation of tasks in the workplace and many more hard usage data. A research report is available as well and the dataset can be downloaded.
Rich with data, illustration, and insights, Microsoft’s work trend index is full of insights into the incorporation of AI at work, the role of leadership, organizational factors, and much more. It’s not meant to guide, but it surely is succeeding in forcing you to rethink your AI strategy.
Another survey, yes, but more focused on the organizational side of things thant the Anthropic and Microsoft ones. This yields several interesting insights about the maturity of AI overall and where organizations differ in their strategies. Hopefully we will get a 2026 edition as well.
One of the annual publications I look forward to every year. It is a staple of AI research. With a mission to provide „unbiased, rigorously vetted, and globally sourced data“, the AI Index, an independent project at Stanford University, remains essential to grasp the broad trends of AI.
In the last years, HBR has really discovered AI as a main topic, and the consistent influx of new articles covers almost every field of an organization. Procurement, Strategy, Finance, Leadership… it is a rich compendium. Not all equal in quality, but always worth a closer look.
Best known for his newsletter „One Useful Thing“, Ethan Mollick discusses how AI systems work and can be integrated into work. The second part illustrates the different roles AI can play (e.g. as coach or tutor). In my view, a bit too optimistic at times, but highly relevant and well written.
There is currently no excellent book that includes detailed strategies on how to successfully implement AI within a business. But this book is still pretty close to this, as it follows a critical approach that stems from real use cases and a focus on thorough analysis.
While I advice that you read „Predicition Machines“ first, this book also works fine on its own. It focuses on the transformative, disruptive effect of AI based on three different AI solutions. It is not an easy read at times, but a highly structured one that provides in-depth insights.
The jobs/skills discplacement question is one of the biggest question of our time. Many of the recommendations on this page tackle it partly, but this survey of over 1000 employers puts it at the center and focuses on how AI impacts roles, skills, and the global workforce.
Erik Brynjolfsson is, among many other distinguised positions, a Professor and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI), and Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. His research on the impact of AI is focused, empirically sound, and likely the best worldwide on the topic.