Across 5,179 customer-support agents, a generative AI assistant raised issues resolved per hour by 14% on average — and by 34% for the least experienced staff
Researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) studied the impact of a generative AI-based conversational assistant on 5,179 customer support agents. They found that access to the tool increased productivity, measured by issues resolved per hour, by 14% on average. For novice and low-skilled workers, the improvement was 34%, while there was minimal impact on experienced and highly skilled workers.
Verified 2026-08-01
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AI helped the least experienced workers most, suggesting it can narrow skill gaps rather than widen them.
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- Stanford's 2026 AI Index, citing Lightcast's job-postings database, found that even as employer demand shifted toward newer agentic-AI skills, mentions of generative AI skills specifically in US AI job postings still grew, from 2024 to 2025, by 111%
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