The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized various aspects of our personal and professional lives, particularly in the workplace. The pandemic-induced shift to remote work, compounded with rapid AI advancements, has redefined productivity in ways that were once unimaginable. The purpose of this article is to examine how AI tools are shaping the productivity landscape and what this means for the future of the workforce.

A Paradigm Shift in Productivity

Not too long ago, I had dinner with two gentlemen in their 40s who had been working from home since before the COVID-19 pandemic—around eight years each. Despite starting at the bottom of their companies, both had successfully climbed the corporate ladder and work domestically and travel all over the world. The common thread here was their ability to maintain momentum, adapt with new tech skills, and enhance productivity while working remotely.

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Reflecting on a personal experience from 16 years ago, I recall meeting a woman in a New Orleans coffee shop who had just moved from Los Angeles. She was tired and weathered, sharing that she had spent 15 years commuting three hours a day to work. This encounter highlights the stark contrast between that era and today’s reality. A shift in how we view time management and tech based productivity has occurred. Remote work since COVID, fueled by digital tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, has now become mainstream—largely accelerated by the pandemic. In fact, the rise of telecommuting post-COVID has led to a massive uptick in worker productivity.

The Advantages of Telecommuting and Working from Home

Having worked outside of the traditional office framework for over  20 years now, I can personally attest to the efficiency benefits of remote work. Without the time-consuming daily commute, I estimate that I am at least 40% more productive than if I were working at a traditional office. For instance, someone working from home for just three or four hours might achieve the same output as someone spending eight hours in an office setting. The absence of commuting, dress codes, parking fees, and daily lunches also cuts down on unnecessary expenses, allowing more time and resources to be spent on actual work.

Just this week, I was sent a transcript from an online discussion which was synthesized and summarized into bullets instantly where you can review the meeting in minutes rather than 2 hours.

Moreover, working from home allows individuals to have flexible meal times, the ability to manage children to schools, and often results in uninterrupted work periods, which further enhances output. With the right tools and environment, the potential for consistent yield and effect work product is significantly boosted.

The Impact of AI on National Productivity

Now, the critical question arises: How will the increased productivity of individuals using AI tools impact the nation as a whole? This is a complex question. On one hand, AI can boost individual productivity, enabling employees to complete tasks more efficiently and accurately. However, it’s unclear if this increase in individual productivity will lead to job loss due to automation and AI advancements.

While AI tools are designed to improve efficiency, there is the potential for certain roles to be phased out, particularly in industries where repetitive tasks can be automated. Like with the creation of fuel injection and moving away from carburetors, there will always be dynamic shifts in industry with innovation.

In light of this, I am a bit concerned with the industry of workers that may be drastically reduced due to AI writing, voice creation, video and news creation, music creation, design creation, art and logo creation and so forth in the short term. I used to pay $3,000 dollars for a quality copy-editor or formatter to review one of my book drafts, and AI does a good job with this type of work.

About 30 years ago, I knew a young man who worked for the Vice President of the United States. His job? I believe that every morning, he had to wake up at the crack of dawn, sift through a pile of newspapers, consolidate the articles, take notes, and then debrief the Vice President on the most important stories of the day. It was a grueling task that involved a lot of coffee and even more paper.

Fast forward to today, and AI can do all of that in the blink of an eye—consolidating news articles, creating chronological lists, and even tailoring the information according to a specific search algorithm. The strategies and techniques available to us now are mind-blowing.

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Large language models are getting better and more efficient every day, and they’re even becoming more cost-effective. The world has changed, and now instead of waking up early with a stack of newspapers, we’ve got AI doing the heavy lifting while we sip our coffee. Talk about a time-saver!

Despite this rapid innovation, it’s undeniable that Tech and AI has already transformed the way we communicate, create, and work. With just a smartphone, a person today can dictate letters, conduct video meetings, create professional-quality photos and videos, listen to podcasts, and much more—all from a tiny device that is far more powerful and multifunctional than the equipment available just years ago.

AI’s Competitive Edge in the United States

The United States, despite being only 4% of the global population, is quickly embracing AI technology, which could give it a competitive edge in several industries. AI is already driving creativity, productivity, and innovation in areas such as marketing, business development, and scientific research.

As someone who contributed to early research on search engine optimization and online marketing, I’ve witnessed firsthand how technological advancements, like AI, have dramatically transformed industries.

Today, AI enables more efficient and targeted marketing on social media platforms like AI, Social Media, YouTube and Rumble. AI tools allow advertisers to geo-target specific regions or even demographic groups, offering a level of precision that was previously unimaginable. This is just one example of how AI is enabling businesses to operate more effectively and competitively.

The Future of AI and Worker Productivity

As AI adoption continues to increase, we can expect a significant boost in worker productivity in the United States over the next 18-24 months. This will likely be driven by the increasing use of AI tools to create content, documents, videos, and even build educational courses or study guides. In education, for instance, we could soon see avatars of historical figures like Isaac Newton teaching science lessons, powered by AI.

Having published over 100 books in the past 20 years, I’ve recently seen how AI can streamline the production process. Now, I can simply click a button to have an audiobook narrated by a digital British actors voice and distributed to multiple platforms—all without lifting a finger. This type of efficiency is not limited to content creation; it extends to educators and professionals using AI to streamline administrative tasks, such as grading and assessments.

Reduction of Inflation

AI can help reduce inflation by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and driving productivity across various sectors, which in turn can keep prices lower for consumers. When businesses utilize AI to streamline operations—whether in manufacturing, logistics, or retail—costs decrease.

Lower operational costs allow businesses to maintain or reduce the prices of goods and services, preventing price hikes that contribute to inflation. For example, AI-driven supply chain optimization reduces inefficiencies, stockouts, and unnecessary inventory costs, leading to more stable prices in goods and services.

In sectors like healthcare, AI-driven automation can cut administrative costs and optimize resource use, lowering the cost of medical diagnostics, treatments and services. This, in turn, reduces the overall price burden on consumers, helping curb healthcare inflation. Similarly, AI in agriculture can help increase crop yields and reduce the costs of farming, potentially lowering food prices—one of the key drivers of inflation.

Moreover, AI in finance can enable more precise monetary policies by improving data analysis and forecasting, helping central banks manage interest rates and inflation more effectively. AI also helps improve competition by enabling smaller businesses to operate more efficiently, potentially driving down prices and reducing monopolistic behavior that can push prices up.

Through these various channels, AI’s impact on productivity and cost reduction could help maintain price stability, contributing to a lower inflationary environment.

The Expanding Role of Subject Matter Experts

While AI has the potential to dramatically increase productivity, it is important to note that it also creates a need for highly skilled professionals. AI tools can generate content, but human oversight is required to ensure that the information produced is accurate and of high quality—especially in technical fields such as law, health, or finance. Thus, the demand for subject matter experts (SMEs) is likely to remain strong, even as AI takes over more routine tasks.

AI in Other Industries and Healthcare

AI’s potential is not limited to the workplace. It is also making significant strides in fields such as healthcare. Scientists are using AI to accelerate the discovery of new treatments and cures for diseases. This is just one example of how AI is being leveraged to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

In everyday life, people are already using AI for basic tasks such as creating web pages or drafting business emails. The productivity gains in these areas are immense. Tasks that once took hours now take minutes, thanks to the power of AI.

News and Entertainment

While teaching MBA’s in Asia last year, I asked the students about how they get their local news and updates. The ladies tended to get it from a pre-programmed voice based system that gave them the daily updates, and the men tended to read it.  Either way, creating custom news alerts has been around for a while, but AI is streamlining it even better.

AI in Education or EdTech

AI’s potential in education is parabolic.  Recently, I used AI to build two college level courses “in a day” that could be taken wholly online.  As an e-learning pioneer in legal education, I can say that the AI course building tools are remarkable and avoid copyright violations altogether which is important. In theory, I could educate, teach and assess hundreds of thousands of students each year from the comforts of my home using AI education tools. With that being said, there may be some college and universities that close or may require greater subsidies due to the rapidly adapting and mass availability of AI reinforced courses and e-learning.

The Future of Work

AI is reshaping the workforce in profound ways. While some jobs may become obsolete, the overall trend seems to be an increase in productivity, creativity, and innovation. The United States, in particular, is poised to experience a significant boost in economic growth due to the rapid adoption of AI tools.

The barriers to starting a business, building websites, and marketing products have been lowered, enabling young entrepreneurs to launch successful startups with minimal budgets. For example, web design and domain name companies offer websites that build out quickly with AI Content generative tools. Again, saving months of time for rollout and reducing design and content costs by 50-90%.

AI is poised to reduce costs and enhance productivity across numerous sectors.

• In healthcare, AI can streamline diagnostics, personalize treatments, and optimize administrative tasks, reducing overhead.
• In manufacturing, AI-powered automation improves precision, speeds up production, and minimizes waste, while predictive maintenance reduces downtime.
• In finance, AI enhances fraud detection, streamlines customer service with chatbots, and automates investment strategies, cutting operational costs.
• Retailers benefit from AI through inventory management, dynamic pricing, and personalized marketing, leading to higher sales and reduced overhead.
• In transportation, AI optimizes route planning, reducing fuel consumption and improving delivery times.
• In education, AI offers personalized learning experiences, automates administrative tasks, and aids in content creation, enhancing teaching efficiency.
•  In agriculture, AI-powered systems predict crop yields, monitor soil health, and automate harvesting, increasing productivity while reducing labor costs.
• In customer service, AI chatbots handle routine inquiries, allowing human agents to focus on complex tasks, thus improving service speed.
• In legal services, AI analyzes vast amounts of data for contract review and case predictions, reducing research time and legal costs.
• In human resources, AI assists in recruitment by screening resumes and predicting candidate success, streamlining hiring processes.
• Supply chains benefit from AI-driven demand forecasting and warehouse automation, reducing stockouts and inventory costs.
• In marketing, AI analyzes consumer behavior to create more effective campaigns, saving time and money.
• In real estate, AI assists in property valuation, predictive analysis, and personalized home recommendations, improving efficiency in sales and leasing.
• In energy, AI optimizes grid management, energy consumption, and predictive maintenance, leading to reduced waste and costs. AI also enhances cybersecurity by detecting anomalies, reducing the risk of data breaches.
• In construction, AI-powered design and project management tools optimize resource allocation and scheduling, reducing delays and costs.
• In the entertainment industry, AI assists in content creation, video editing, and personalized recommendations, saving time and resources.
• In logistics, AI improves route planning, load optimization, and fleet management, reducing operational costs and improving delivery efficiency.
•  Lastly, in the public sector, AI streamlines government processes, reduces paperwork, and improves citizen engagement.

Looking ahead, the next five years could see an unprecedented surge in worker productivity and economic expansion in the United States. The potential for AI to transform industries and create new opportunities is vast, and we are only just beginning to scratch the surface.

Like all AI, its effectiveness relies on the quality of its inputs and source data. When I reviewed the book on Renaissance Technologies' trading systems and hedge fund strategies, I was impressed by how their vast data collection over the past 40 years has allowed them to outperform stock market indices.[i] This is similar to the concept in Limitless with Bradley Cooper: if AI developers can gather the right data, build large learning models, and have access to the full spectrum of facts and rumors, they could eventually achieve a level of presence and intuition that many have only dreamed of.

In conclusion, the advent of AI is ushering in a new era of productivity. As more people embrace AI tools in their personal and professional lives, we can expect to see significant economic growth and a fundamental shift in how work is done. The future is bright, and the opportunities for innovation and success are greater than ever before.

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Commissioner George Mentz JD MBA CILS CWM® is the first in the USA to rank as a Top 50 Influencer & Thought Leader in: Management, PM, HR, FinTech, Wealth Management, and B2B according to Onalytica.com and Thinkers360.com. George Mentz JD MBA CILS is a CWM Chartered Wealth Manager ®, global speaker - educator, tax-economist, international lawyer and CEO of the GAFM Global Academy of Finance & Management ®. The GAFM is a EU accredited graduate body that trains and certifies professionals in 150+ nations under standards of the: US Dept of Education, ACBSP, ISO 21001, ISO 991, ISO 29993, QAHE, ECLBS, and ISO 29990 standards. Mentz is also an award-winning author and award winning graduate law professor of wealth management of one of the top 30 ranked law schools in the USA.Mentzenborg is just a term of art to describe the theory and process by George Mentz JD MBA ChE. CWM is for Chartered Wealth Manager ® and ChE Chartered Economist ® is a credential for economics professionals.