AI use is rising fast, but the benefits may not reach everyone equally

In short: More organizations are using AI, but the gains and the pain are likely to be spread unevenly.

What's going on

Several major reports point to rapid growth in AI use. Stanford’s 2025 AI Index says 78% of organizations used AI in 2024, up from 55% the year before. Consulting firms like McKinsey also describe AI moving from experiments to everyday business work.

Money is following that shift. Governments are treating AI as part of industrial strategy, including Europe’s plan for large shared computing centers sometimes described as “AI gigafactories” (think of them like big power plants, but for computer processing). At the same time, PwC reports that skills in jobs exposed to AI are changing 66% faster than in other jobs, which raises pressure for training.

Some evidence suggests the benefits can be broad. One analysis compares AI’s impact to the early internet, where many industries gained, not just a few big tech firms. Research cited in recent coverage also suggests AI can already complete a large share of text-based tasks in the U.S. economy at a “good enough” level without a person doing the first draft.

What to watch

The downside is that the transition may not be smooth for everyone. Reuters reported in February 2026 that investors have started worrying about how long it will take for expensive AI spending to pay off, with some big tech stocks down year to date. For workers, even steady progress can still be disruptive if a tool suddenly gets much better at a specific task, so job training and clear rules will matter.

Source: NYTimes