Firm Data on AI

Barrero, Jose Maria; Bloom, Nicholas; Bunn, Philip; Davis, Steven J.; Foster, Kevin; Jalca, Aaron; Meyer, Brent; Mizen, Paul; Navarrete, Michael; Smietanka, Pawel; Thwaites, Gregory; Wang, Ben; Yotzov, Ivan

doi:10.29338/wp2026-03

Working Paper

Firm Data on AI

Abstract: We present the first representative international data on firm-level AI use. We survey almost 6,000 CFOs, CEOs, and executives from stratified firm samples across the US, UK, Germany, and Australia. We find four key facts. First, around 70 percent of firms actively use AI, particularly younger, more productive firms. Second, while over two-thirds of top executives regularly use AI, their average use is only 1.5 hours a week, with one quarter reporting no AI use. Third, firms report little impact of AI over the last three years, with more than 80 percent of firms reporting no impact on either employment or productivity. Fourth, firms predict sizable impacts over the next three years, forecasting AI will boost productivity by 1.4 percent, increase output by 0.8 percent, and cut employment by 0.7 percent. We also survey individual employees who predict a 0.5 percent increase in employment in the next three years as a result of AI. This contrast implies a sizable gap in expectations, with senior executives predicting reductions in employment from AI and employees predicting net job creation.

JEL Classification: E0;

https://doi.org/10.29338/wp2026-03

Status: Published in 2026