In its latest enterprise report, OpenAI claims its AI tools are helping workers save between 40 and 60 minutes per active workday on average — with some professionals, especially in data science, engineering, and communications, saving as much as 80 minutes a day.
The findings come from a survey of around 9,000 employees across nearly 100 companies worldwide.
How Time Is Saved — What Tasks Benefit the Most
- Employees report AI helps with repetitive or time-consuming tasks: writing emails/reports, summarizing documents, data analysis, coding, research, and content generation.
- For roles in data science, engineering and communications, AI tools often accelerate technical work: coding, debugging, data analysis — saving more time per day than average.
- In companies that deeply integrate AI across workflows, workers using multiple AI features (e.g. reasoning, automation, custom “GPTs”) tend to report greater time savings.
Overall, about 75% of surveyed workers said AI improved either the speed or quality of their work.
Why This Matters: Productivity Gains & Business Impacts
- Efficiency & output: Reducing 40–80 minutes of daily work could boost productivity significantly — freeing up time for higher-value tasks or enabling faster work cycles.
- Cost savings: For companies, AI could reduce labor hours spent on routine tasks, lowering cost per task and increasing throughput.
- Skill amplification: AI lowers the barrier on technical tasks. Even non-technical teams reportedly used AI to do data analysis, coding, or complex writing that earlier required specialists.
- Faster innovation & delivery: With routine tasks automated, teams could focus on strategic or creative work, accelerating projects, product development, or decision-making cycles.
What to Watch: Not All Gains Are Equal — Context Matters
- The time savings vary widely by role and intensity of AI use. Workers in data-heavy or technical jobs see larger gains; those in fields with less repetitive or automatable tasks may see smaller benefits.
- The benefits depend on how deeply AI is integrated — firms that embed AI into workflows (not just occasional use) see better results. Light or superficial use may show minimal gains
- Some critics and past academic studies warn that such self-reported productivity gains may be overstated or not yet independently verified. Efficiency may not always translate to higher quality or long-term gains.
What It Means for the Future of Work
The claim that AI tools can save up to 80 minutes a day per worker reflects a growing shift: AI is no longer just experimental, but becoming a central tool in everyday professional workflows. As adoption deepens:
- Teams may rely increasingly on AI for repetitive work — allowing humans to focus on creativity, strategy, and complex judgment.
- Organizations may redesign workflows and roles — with AI handling routine tasks, and humans tackling higher-value responsibilities.
- The gap between “AI-enabled” and “non-AI” workers may widen, depending on who gets access and proper integration support.
Conclusion
According to OpenAI’s 2025 enterprise data, AI use can help many knowledge workers reclaim nearly an hour of their workday — a significant boost in productivity. While not everyone will benefit equally, and long-term effects remain to be observed, the findings hint at a fundamental shift in how we work: one where AI handles routine tasks, and humans concentrate on what machines can’t replicate.
