Tracking Generative AI Adoption at Work

Grant description:

Currently, no government surveys collect worker-level data on generative AI adoption and use. This proposal seeks to continue and enhance the Real-Time Population Survey, the first nationally representative survey tracking genAI adoption in U.S. workplaces. The Real-Time Population Survey, first launched in April 2020, is benchmarked to the Current Population Survey, allowing researchers to validate outcomes against the larger sample size. It builds upon previous technology adoption surveys, enabling comparisons to other information and communication technologies. Given the rapid pace of AI adoption thus far, adoption rates are expected to change substantially in the coming years. Funding would cover three additional surveys in the August 2025–July 2027 grant period and support the development of innovative questions on how genAI interacts with work tasks. The resulting data will provide insights into which workers use genAI, how often, and which tasks it complements or automates, helping to discipline and test theories of the labor market impact of genAI. Findings will also inform workforce development and social insurance policies with the goal of maximizing aggregate productivity gains while simultaneously ensuring that benefits are broadly distributed.