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Working Paper
The lengthening of childhood
Forty years ago, 96 percent of six-year-old children were enrolled in first grade or above. As of 2005, the figure was just 84 percent. The school attendance rate of six-year-olds has not decreased; rather, they are increasingly likely to be enrolled in kindergarten rather than first grade. This paper documents this historical shift. We show that only about a quarter of the change can be proximately explained by changes in school entry laws; the rest reflects "academic redshirting," the practice of enrolling a child in a grade lower than the one for which he is eligible. We show that the ...
Working Paper
The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a potentially important new technology, but its impact on the economy depends on the speed and intensity of adoption. This paper reports results from a series of nationally representative U.S. surveys of generative AI use at work and at home. As of late 2024, nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population age 18-64 uses generative AI. 23 percent of employed respondents had used generative AI for work at least once in the previous week, and 9 percent used it every work day. Relative to each technology’s first mass-market product launch, work adoption of ...
The State of Generative AI Adoption in 2025
A new survey shows generative AI usage continues to grow. In the past 12 months, the overall adoption rate rose 10 percentage points to 54.6% of adults (18-64).
Working Paper
The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a potentially important new technology, but its impact on the economy depends on the speed and intensity of adoption. This paper reports results from a series of nationally representative U.S. surveys of generative AI use at work and at home. As of late 2024, 45% of the U.S. population age 18-64 uses generative AI. Among employed respondents, 27% used generative AI for work at least once in the previous week: 10% used it every workday, and 17% on some but not all workdays. Relative to each technology’s first mass-market product launch, work ...
The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI
An analysis suggests that generative AI has been quickly and widely adopted at home and in the workplace, with about 40% of the U.S. population ages 18 to 64 using it to some degree.
The Impact of Generative AI on Work Productivity
Workers using generative AI reported they saved 5.4% of their work hours in the previous week, which suggests a 1.1% increase in productivity for the entire workforce.
Mind the Gap: AI Adoption in Europe and the U.S.
AI adoption is much higher among American workers than it is among European workers. Is this widening the gap between U.S. and EU productivity growth?
Working Paper
Mind the Gap: AI Adoption in Europe and the US
This paper combines international evidence from worker and firm surveys conducted in 2025 and2026 to document large gaps in AI adoption, both between the US and Europe and across European countries. Cross-country differences in worker demographics and firm composition account for an important share of these gaps. AI adoption, within and across countries, is also closely linked to firm personnel management practices and whether firms actively encourage AI use by workers. Micro-level evidence suggests that AI generates meaningful time savings for many workers. At the macro level, in recent ...
Working Paper
The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a potentially important new technology, but its impact on the economy depends on the speed and intensity of adoption. This paper reports results from a series of nationally representative U.S. surveys of generative AI use at work and at home. As of late 2024, nearly 40% of the U.S. population age 18-64 uses generative AI. Among employed respondents, 23% used generative AI for work at least once in the previous week: 9% used it every workday, and 14% on some but not all workdays. Relative to each technology's first mass-market product launch, work ...