AI's Productivity Promise Is Slow to Materialize Across Companies

AI is boosting some individual coding speed and driving heavy spending, but broad productivity gains remain elusive: most firms report little to no impact on productivity, and experts warn that many pilots don’t scale across operations. The piece describes an “uncomfortable AI middle” where output grows without a clear macro boost, suggesting a gradual payoff later this decade as companies reinvent workflows, adopt AI more broadly, and measure real outcomes rather than token usage.