Same AI tools. Same budget. Opposite results. This episode dives into the data behind the AI productivity paradox and reveals why the companies seeing massive gains are doing something completely different from the ones falling behind.

Key Topics:

The ActivTrak finding: AI does not reduce workloads, but the 3% who found the sweet spot hit 95% productivity
OpenAI's 6x productivity gap between power users and average employees
Google/Ipsos: Only 5% of workers are AI fluent, and they are 4.5x more likely to get promoted
BCG's 10-20-70 rule: 70% of AI value comes from rethinking the people component
The seniority flip: Junior staff are more AI-adept than senior leaders
Why a trained Gen X employee outperforms an untrained Gen Z employee

Sources Referenced:

ActivTrak 2026 State of the Workplace Report
BCG: AI Transformation Is a Workforce Transformation
McKinsey: Redefine AI Upskilling as a Change Imperative
Google/Ipsos AI Fluency Study
OpenAI State of Enterprise Report
LSE/Protiviti: AI Boosts Productivity by One Workday Per Week
Forbes: The Leadership Gap
Harvard Business Review: What the Best AI Users Do Differently
Pearson: Mind the Learning Gap

Hosted by Stephen Forte. Produced by BuildClub.

The AI Fluency Divide: Why Training Beats Tools