ISSUE 13 / MEASURING AI AT WORK · 4 MIN READ

How to Tell When AI Is Actually Saving You Time

Generation speed is only useful when trust is cheap. Measure the whole task, including the work required to trust the result.

Don LongFounder, SummitMark · September 1, 2026

THE MOSTLY RIGHT LETTER

A hand marks up a long unrolled scroll of dense printed text next to a pocket watch and a shorter, clean printed page. — The generation clock stops before the trust work is finished.

A faster first draft is only a productivity gain if the whole task gets easier - including the work required to trust the result.

01 / START TO TRUSTWORTHY FINISH

The real clock starts after AI finishes.

BambooHR survey: 1,608 U.S. full-time salaried desk workers; online, self-reported responses collected June 26 - July 15, 2026. Vendor-sponsored research; these are shares of AI-use time, not independently observed time logs. BambooHR, "Redesigning Work: AI's Performance Review" (Sept. 1, 2026).

Reuters, Aug. 26, 2026. Internal company measures; the report does not establish that AI caused every incident. WIRED, Aug. 31, 2026. Interviewed-worker accounts, not a controlled test of AI causation.

Valon, "We turned off AI access for new hires" (Aug. 18, 2026). Company post describing policy and intent.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Don Long

Founder of SummitMark. Helping people and organizations become capable with AI.

THE MOSTLY RIGHT LETTER

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