AI Made Us More Productive. So Where Did the Money Go?

About This Episode

AI is making employees more productive but where is all that productivity actually going? McKinsey data shows a striking gap: while companies report significant productivity gains from AI, far fewer can connect those gains to measurable financial impact. Meanwhile, organizations aren't waiting for the answer. Roles are being redesigned, hiring is being frozen, and workforce reductions are being considered. In this video, I break down three possible explanations for where the AI productivity gain is going—and what leaders should be measuring before making major workforce decisions. We'll look at research from McKinsey, Apollo, and Culture Amp to explore: • Why AI productivity gains may never reach the P&L • What wage data may tell us about who is capturing AI's value • Why employees can feel more productive without feeling less overloaded • The difference between eliminating work and simply making work faster • How to track AI ROI through the actual flow of work • How the Value of Work Matrix can expose where productivity gains disappear I also share three questions leaders should be able to answer about AI—and a practical exercise you can use with your team to determine whether AI is creating measurable value or simply creating more capacity nobody is tracking. Want to understand the five mindsets HR professionals will need for the future of work? Take the free FutHRist assessment: https://trentcotton.com/futhrist-start-here Learn more about the Value of Work Matrix: https://youtu.be/_umOtBmp_BY The FutHRist: The 5 Mindsets of the Future HR Pro: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HG4TBBX8 Resources for HR Leaders 📊 The Value of Work Matrix Toolkit — A practical framework to quantify workforce decisions and defend headcount to your CFO. https://cottontrent.gumroad.com/l/value-of-work-matrix-toolkit 📋 FutHRist Team Assessment Workbook — Diagnose your HR team's readiness for the future of work, skills gap and all. https://cottontrent.gumroad.com/l/futhrist-team-workbook 📥 The FutHRist Planner (free) — A structured planning tool for HR leaders navigating AI-driven transformation. https://cottontrent.gumroad.com/l/futhrist-productivity-planner Subscribe for practical analysis on AI, work, leadership, and the future of human capital. #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices