The study
Who: Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
What: AI at Work 2026, published on 3 June 2026.
Type: A survey. People reported their own experience.
People: 11,749 frontline employees, managers and leaders in 14 markets, including Australia, India and Japan. Some questions went only to people who use AI regularly, so the base differs by figure. The fieldwork dates are not stated.
What the researchers found
- 52% agreed AI has increased the time they spend reviewing and correcting AI output.
- 47% agreed their role has shifted towards managing and directing AI.
- 41% agreed their decision-making has increased.
- Among 8,849 regular AI users who know of AI agents, 50% said their company has no clear guidance on managing teams of people and AI. Among managers, the figure was 55%.
- Among 8,989 regular AI users, 61% said they get little or no guidance on using the time AI saves.
- 36% of all respondents felt properly trained.
What this may mean for managers
This is our interpretation, not the researchers' finding.
The time AI saves is not automatically free time. Some of it moves into checking, correcting and directing AI. Managers can plan for that work: who does it, how long it takes and what happens to the time that remains.
What this study did not test
- It did not measure how much time people actually spent. These are people's own reports.
- It did not test which kinds of training or guidance work best.
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