Automate repetitive tasks, speed up research, streamline workflows — and in theory, employees should end up with more breathing room during the day. But the reality may be unfolding a little differently.
We conducted a survey of 3,104 employees to find out how much their work habits have changed since the adoption of AI in the workplace. Many respondents admitted that they are actively trying to demonstrate their value to employers. However, habits differ across the country:
Key findings
Taken together, the numbers hint at a subtle workplace shift.
Rather than dramatic changes in working hours, what appears to be happening is something quieter: small adjustments to daily routines. Workers are answering emails faster, staying online a little longer, and picking up extra responsibilities. Individually, these behaviors seem minor, but together they stretch the workweek in noticeable ways.
How working extra hours varies across America
Some of the most interesting differences appear when the data is broken down by state. Workers in South Dakota, for example, are logging nearly six extra hours per week, which adds up to more than seven additional workweeks across a year.
On the other hand, Granite Staters and Wyomingites report less than an hour of weekly overtime on average. The gap suggests how uneven the early effects of AI pressure may be across the country — in some states, the workday appears to be stretching considerably, while in others the change is far more subtle.
AI pressure is eating into workers' lunch breaks
For many, the lunch break has long been a welcome pause in the day. However, for many respondents in our survey, this break is starting to shrink.
Fifty-five percent of those surveyed say their lunch breaks have gotten shorter over the past year — mainly because of pressure to be productive in front of their bosses.
The new art of “looking busy”
For many workers, the pressure is not simply about doing more work, but about making sure that work is visible. When asked whether they feel the need to “look busy” in order to prove their value in an AI-driven workplace, 67% admitted they do.
This reflects the rise of so-called “productivity theater,” a trend highlighted in recent reporting by Forbes, in which employees focus on appearing busy and responsive rather than necessarily making meaningful progress on high-value tasks.
How AI is raising the bar for workers' performance
Many respondents believe that AI is already changing how managers evaluate their performance. More than half said expectations have increased since AI tools became more common in the workplace.
A further 16% say the biggest change is the pace of their work. Because AI can help complete certain tasks much faster, many employees feel they are now expected to move at a faster pace as well.
Job replacement is workers' biggest AI fear
For all the talk of AI helping people work more efficiently, the most common concern remains fairly blunt: the possibility of being replaced. When asked, the largest share of respondents (34%) said what they fear most is suddenly being replaced by AI.
Another 30% are more concerned about a slower version of the same outcome — AI gradually creeping into their workload and taking over more and more of their responsibilities.
Others worry about the potential ripple effects: One in five workers, for example, fear that they will be expected to produce more work because of AI tools. An additional 14% worry they may fall behind colleagues who are more proficient with the technology.
Taken together, the results suggest that while companies often talk about the productivity gains of AI, many employees are still trying to figure out what the technology means for their own place in the workplace.
Final thoughts
For years, Silicon Valley has promised that AI would free people from repetitive tasks and make work more efficient. However, the signals we received from our respondents suggest their experience with the rise of AI has been more complicated.
Instead of working less, many employees say they are working slightly more — not necessarily because they are told to, but because they feel the need to stay competitive.
For now, the data suggests a strange early paradox of the AI era: the more efficient the tools become, the harder and longer employees appear to work. For those trying to stand out, keeping your resumes and applications sharp has never felt more urgent.
Methodology
This study is based on a survey of 3,014 employees conducted across the United States. Respondents were asked how much additional time they are working each week or year in order to demonstrate their value at work amid growing concerns about artificial intelligence and automation replacing certain roles. The survey explored whether workers feel pressure to put in extra hours as a way of staying competitive and safeguarding their position in an evolving workplace.
The survey was conducted online using a nationally representative panel and balanced across age, gender, industry, employment status, and geographic region to reflect the U.S. workforce. Results were weighted where necessary to align with national labor force benchmarks, ensuring a broad and representative snapshot of employee experiences across all 50 states. The survey was fielded in March 2026.
