OpenAI: ChatGPT Saves Workers Time Daily – Here's What You Need to Know

ZDNET's Essential Insights

According to a recent OpenAI report, the integration of AI technologies is enabling employees to cut down their work by approximately 40 to 60 minutes each day.

The report, released on Monday and entitled "The State of Enterprise AI," highlights the application of ChatGPT Enterprise across various sectors. It emphasizes which jobs and tasks are most positively impacted by the technology.

Published shortly after ChatGPT marked its three-year milestone, the report arrives amidst intensifying competition as tech giants vie for supremacy in providing AI solutions to businesses. According to the report, capturing the enterprise market is crucial to realizing AI's full economic potential.

In the report, Ronnie Chatterji, OpenAI's chief economist, notes, "AI's tangible benefits have predominantly been observed among consumers until now." He adds, "The evolution of foundational technologies like steam engines and semiconductors demonstrates that substantial economic gains manifest when businesses effectively scale these innovations. Enterprise AI is currently entering this transformative phase as leading global organizations begin to embed AI within their core systems."

Enhancing Workplace Efficiency

OpenAI's new research involved analyzing anonymous usage data alongside a survey of 9,000 employees from 100 companies. Currently, ChatGPT Enterprise serves over seven million employees, and the number of subscribers has increased more than ninefold compared to last year.

The survey revealed that three-quarters of participants experienced improved speed or quality in their work due to AI utilization. Beyond the average time savings of 40 to 60 minutes, professionals in fields such as data science, software development, and communications noticed even greater efficiency, ranging from one hour to 80 minutes on average.

"These findings suggest that productivity enhancements are already visible in essential business operations, not just in sectors that have quickly adopted tech," Chatterji explains. This aligns with a recent MIT report that discovered AI's swift impact in diverse areas, including HR and finance, beyond solely tech industries.

Caution and Considerations

While exploring AI's role in enhancing workplace efficiency, it's important to recognize that the scientific evaluation of AI's economic impacts is still evolving. OpenAI's initial report, like others, should be interpreted cautiously.

There's an inherent motivation for AI creators to present their technologies positively. However, numerous broader considerations about AI's role in the workplace remain outside the scope of OpenAI's study but warrant further investigation.

For instance, it isn't always evident whether the quicker outputs from AI equate to higher quality, or if they simply increase the volume of tasks completed. Furthermore, another study from earlier this year on platforms like Upwork indicated potential negative psychological effects on employees, despite productivity gains. Additionally, AI's potential to replace significant numbers of human jobs could lead to extensive societal, political, and economic shifts.

For now, considering the ongoing quest to capture larger shares of the business market, major AI developers are likely to emphasize the technology's ability to boost productivity and highlight its role in broader economic growth.

For example, a recent study by Anthropic analyzed 100,000 chats with Claude, revealing users completed tasks 80% faster, suggesting current AI models could dramatically improve task efficiency.