Harvard Study Finds AI Boosts Worker Productivity, Not Job Cuts

IBM's Watsonx platform and 22% data growth capture the capacity shift as AI reduces friction in the workplace.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that artificial intelligence tools are not replacing workers, but rather making them more productive. Researchers from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business spent eight months embedded in a 200-person tech company and discovered that workers with AI tools simply took on more tasks, a phenomenon they called "work intensification." This contrasts with the popular narrative of AI causing mass job losses, and instead suggests companies are getting value from AI by increasing employee output rather than reducing headcount.

Why it matters

The findings from this study have significant implications for both workers and investors. For workers, it means their jobs are not disappearing, but the demands and pace of their work are increasing. Companies need to be mindful of potential burnout and cognitive strain. For investors, the companies providing the infrastructure and tools to enable this AI-driven productivity boost, like IBM and its Watsonx platform, are the ones seeing real revenue growth right now.

The details

The Berkeley researchers found that workers with AI tools didn't clock out early - instead, they started new tasks the moment old ones wrapped up. Product managers began writing code, researchers picked up engineering work, and single individuals started completing projects that once required a whole team. This "work intensification" occurs because AI reduces the friction of each task, allowing workers to simply do more in the same number of hours.

  • The Harvard Business Review study was published this week.
  • IBM reported Q4 2025 revenue of $19.7 billion, beating expectations, with its software segment growing 14% year-over-year and its Data business, which includes AI tools, growing 22%.
  • IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna said the company delivered 6% revenue growth for full-year 2025, its highest in many years, along with $14.7 billion in free cash flow, its highest level in over a decade.

The players

UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business

The research institution that conducted the 8-month study embedded within a 200-person tech company to observe the impact of AI on worker productivity.

IBM

The technology company that provides the Watsonx platform, which is designed to enable the kind of AI-driven productivity gains documented in the Berkeley study.

Arvind Krishna

The CEO of IBM who discussed the company's strong financial performance and growth outlook, which is tied to the adoption of its AI infrastructure and tools.

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What they’re saying

“IBM delivered 6% revenue growth for full-year 2025, its highest in many years, along with $14.7 billion in free cash flow, its highest level in over a decade.”

— Arvind Krishna, CEO (IBM Earnings Call)

What’s next

IBM is guiding for more than 5% constant-currency revenue growth in 2026 and projecting software revenue to accelerate to 10% growth, as the company continues to see strong demand for its AI infrastructure and tools that enable the kind of productivity gains documented in the Berkeley study.

The takeaway

This study upends the dominant narrative around AI in the workplace, showing that the technology is not replacing workers but rather making them more productive. For investors, the companies providing the underlying AI infrastructure and tools, like IBM and its Watsonx platform, are the ones poised to benefit the most from this shift towards AI-driven work intensification.