Behind the Numbers: an EMARKETER Podcast How AI Is Changing the Workplace: Efficiency Gains or Higher Demands? | Behind the Numbers
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Mar 13, 2026 Jacob Bourne, a tech analyst who studies AI's effects on productivity and workplace behavior, and Grace Harmon, a tech and AI analyst focused on digital media and marketing impacts, discuss AI's real productivity gains, measurement challenges, adoption hurdles, trade-offs like faster work but expanded responsibilities, and how anticipation of AI reshapes worker behavior.
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Burger King Tested AI Headsets That Score Friendliness
- Burger King tested AI headsets named Patty that answer staff questions and score friendliness by tracking please and thank yous.
- The example shows AI used for real-time assistance and performance monitoring in frontline work.
Capex Can Mask Real Productivity
- Large AI capex can create a false productivity signal because spending inflates GDP growth without underlying efficiency gains.
- Jason Furman estimates 90% of early 2025 GDP growth came from data center and related investment rather than true productivity.
Saved Time Often Becomes More Work
- Early AI users often reallocate saved time to more tasks or longer hours rather than higher-value work.
- Studies show mixed outcomes: some workers work more hours with AI while others generate low-quality drafts needing heavy editing.