AI Spending Hits $2.59 Trillion as US Productivity Stalls at 0.07%
Updated
Updated · Computerworld · Aug 28
AI Spending Hits $2.59 Trillion as US Productivity Stalls at 0.07%
3 articles · Updated · Computerworld · Aug 28
Summary
US utilization-adjusted total factor productivity rose just 0.07% in the four quarters through Q1 2026, even as Gartner projected global AI spending of $2.59 trillion this year.
95% of enterprise generative-AI pilots have produced no measurable bottom-line effect, undercutting claims that broad deployment is already lifting company performance.
More than half of US workers now use AI, but the report argues the bigger drag is not employee resistance; it is AI-generated overload that forces colleagues to review more documents, applications and filings.
LinkedIn data shows US applications per job posting have roughly doubled since spring 2022, while a 2026 MIT-USC study found AI-generated text in federal civil complaints rose from 1% in 2023 to 18% in early 2026.
The broader implication is a workplace design problem: AI may boost individual output while exhausting shared human attention, leaving organizations busier rather than more productive.