The Work AI Index 2026
Botsitting, botshitting, and the hidden human labor of AI at work
AI is everywhere at work. 87% of digital workers use it and say it saves them 11 hours every week. But only 13% say their organization is performing significantly better because of it.
So where is that time going?
Into the work no one planned for: feeding AI context, checking outputs, fixing mistakes, and cleaning up the confident-but-wrong answers AI leaves behind. This report from the Work AI Institute reveals the hidden work of making AI usable.
You’ll learn:
- Where AI’s time savings go.
Workers spend 6.4 hours a week botsitting — more time than they spend using AI to produce work. - How botsitting turns into botshitting.
69% of AI users admit to shipping work they haven’t verified, don’t fully understand, or can’t confidently stand behind. - What high AI achievers do differently.
See how high AI achievers protect their judgment, learn from the tool, and know when not to use it. - How organizations can close the operating gap.
Learn how better context, meaningful metrics, practical governance, and redesigned workflows help break the botsitting-botshitting cycle.
The AI Transformation 100
100 ideas from leaders redefining how we work with AI
AI has moved fast—but transformation hasn’t. Too many organizations are still stuck between hype and results.
This report, brought to you by the Work AI Institute, distills insights from 100+ leaders into practical, evidence-backed plays for using AI to transform work.
You’ll learn:
- Five big lessons for leading through AI change.
Learn why AI doesn’t fix broken systems—it amplifies them. - Nine themes reshaping work.
From Division of Labor to Leadership, see how AI is rewiring the core of how organizations function. - Real-world examples.
Lessons from Time, Workday, Deloitte, Zendesk, Oracle, Uber, Instacart, and more. - The AI BS Quiz.
A quick gut-check to see if your organization is making real progress—or just performing innovation theater.