American workers are getting real about what’s holding them back at work — and it’s not bad coffee or long meetings. It’s repetitive, brain-numbing tasks. And a new study shows they’re looking to AI to eliminate the drudgery, boost productivity, and actually help them grow in their careers.
A survey of 2,000 knowledge workers, commissioned by Grammarly and conducted by Talker Research, reveals that 44% of U.S. employees “hate” the repetitive parts of their job, and a growing number are eager for AI tools that can automate the busywork.
AI Isn’t Just Welcome — It’s Expected
Among the respondents, 62% said they already have tasks they’d like to hand over to AI, from data sorting to meeting note-taking. And that’s not wishful thinking — 76% believe AI will become essential to corporate jobs within the next 3.5 years.
The appetite for AI isn’t driven by fear of being replaced — it’s about being enabled. A full 64% said they see AI as a career growth opportunity, while just 16% viewed it as a threat.
“Workers are eager to leverage AI for professional growth,” said Heather Breslow, Head of UX and Marketing Research at Grammarly. “They want tools that do the grunt work, so they can focus on what actually matters — judgment, creativity, decision-making.”
Productivity Is Taking a Hit — But It’s Not from Laziness
The study also sheds light on how productivity is really playing out:
- Employees average 53 momentum-breaking tasks per week.
- That adds up to 3.5 hours of lost productivity — every week.
- Peak productivity hits Mondays at 11 a.m., and crashes by Friday 12:06 p.m..
Clearly, it’s not that people aren’t working hard — it’s that they’re constantly being dragged away from high-value tasks by low-value ones.
What Workers Want from AI Tools
When asked what features they’d find most helpful in an AI assistant, the answers were refreshingly practical:
- Easy to use — 49%
- Can draft emails — 35%
- Easy to prompt — 35%
- Sort spreadsheet data — 34%
- Draft meeting notes — 33%
- Automate simple workflows — 31%
- Integrate with existing tools — 31%
There’s a clear theme: don’t reinvent the wheel — just make it spin faster.
Workers aren’t asking for flashy dashboards or AI avatars. They want intuitive, seamless integrations that shave time off repetitive workflows and fit inside the tools they already use.
The AI Policy Gap Inside Companies
Despite high interest in AI, only 38% of respondents said their employer has a clear AI policy. Yet, half wish their company were more open to using AI, with Gen Z leading the charge — 67% want more AI adoption, compared to 59% of millennials and 45% of Gen X.
That generational divide matters. As younger employees become the majority of the workforce, expectations around automation, personalization, and tech-powered productivity will only grow.
Final Words
AI isn’t a looming threat for most employees — it’s a missing co-pilot. The next phase of workplace productivity won’t be about working harder. It’ll be about working smarter, with AI removing friction from the everyday grind.
Companies that drag their feet on AI adoption aren’t just risking inefficiency — they’re risking talent loss. Because as this study makes clear: the future of work isn’t just hybrid or remote.
It’s assisted.
