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Why AI time savings aren’t translating into productivity gains

Published: 2 June 2026

As the Bank of Canada highlights AI’s promise to boost productivity, Simon Blanchette, a faculty lecturer at 91˿Ƶ’s Desautels Faculty of Management, says Canada risks overestimating the impact of time savings alone.

Even as workplace efficiencies improve, he argues the real challenge lies in turning those gains into higher-value outcomes. “Today is the day that AI will be the least powerful in our lifetime,” he says, warning that organizations need to move faster.

Blanchette points to gaps in strategy, measurement and workforce skills as key barriers, stressing that without stronger leadership and planning, AI may deliver only modest gains instead of meaningful productivity growth. 

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