All articles tagged with #productivity
AI is advancing rapidly and solving complex tasks (even aiding theoretical physics), but its impact on measured output and productivity remains limited so far, echoing the Solow paradox that breakthrough capabilities don't yet translate into broad productivity gains.
Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC is discounted to $99.97 for a lifetime license (through March 1), covering Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook with faster performance, AI-enhanced features, offline access, and no ongoing subscription; the license is tied to your Microsoft account.
Mashable Deals highlights a limited-time offer from 1min.AI: a lifetime subscription for $74.97 (regularly $540) that unlocks access to popular AI models including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Sonnet, Llama, and Mistral, plus bundled tools for writing, image generation, translation, research, and more. The Advanced Business Plan adds 4,000,000 monthly credits (with potential to earn up to 450,000 more), supports up to 20 members with shared workspaces and unlimited assets, and credits rollover if unused. The deal ends Feb. 22 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
An NBER survey highlighted by Fortune finds about 90% of CEOs and other top executives in the US, UK, Germany, and Australia say AI has not boosted productivity or employment, even as roughly 70% of firms are using AI; individual executives report only about 1.5 hours of AI use per week. Other studies show mixed ROI, with MIT-style research noting little revenue growth from AI and concerns about burnout and lower-quality work, even as adoption rose from 61% to 71% between early 2025 and early 2026 and executives forecast small productivity gains (about 1.4%) and a modest output rise (0.8%) with a slight employment decline over three years.
Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr argues that generative AI is likely to become a broad, long-run productivity driver, but could cause meaningful short-term labor-market disruptions. Adoption could unfold gradually or rapidly, with sectoral shifts, retraining needs, and potential impacts on wages and inflation. Policy implications include addressing worker transitions and safety nets, while monetary policy remains cautious as AI-driven changes unfold and the economy assesses the pace of adoption and productivity gains.
The piece argues that the nostalgia for reviving U.S. manufacturing through “Make America Great Again” is politically appealing but economically ineffective: manufacturing employs less than 8% of jobs and has not rebounded to pre-COVID output despite large policy spending; tariffs raise input costs since most imports are components used by domestic firms, diminishing competitiveness; the economy has shifted toward services, with manufacturing productivity growth slowing, and only a few strategic sectors merit targeted support rather than broad protectionist policies that harm consumers and fail to deliver durable jobs.
A tech writer goes all-in on Logitech’s MX Master Series, assembling a cohesive, customizable workspace around MX Master 4, MX Keys Mini, MX Mechanical Mini, MX Brio and, crucially, the MX Creative Console with its dialpad and keypad. He praises a single dongle and Logi Options+ for cross‑app shortcuts, arguing the Creative Console is the real game changer that turns the whole setup into a cockpit-like productivity system.
Microsoft's AI chief Mustafa Suleyman predicts most white-collar desk work will be automated within 12–18 months, noting AI-enabled coding already changing software engineering; however, analysts warn decisive productivity gains are uncertain and automation could shift or increase workloads, with some layoffs framed as 'AI washing.'
ZDNet highlights 10 free, open-source Windows apps—LibreOffice, Flow Launcher, Duplicati, Nextcloud, Franz, YAZB, File Converter, Bitwarden, AutoHotKey, and Ollama—showcasing local-first tools for office work, fast app search, encrypted backups, private cloud, unified messaging, system widgets, file conversion, password management, automation, and local AI hosting.
SlashGear highlights 10 underrated Android and iOS apps that boost daily phone use beyond the usual suspects, from ergonomic helpers Volume Scroll and Quick Cursor to visual tools Screencraft and Random Wallpaper 8K, privacy-focused Weblo, all-in-one productivity suite OmniTools, on-device video editor Editor Pro, cross-platform music sharing with Crossfade, offline PDF editing with PDF Fox, and Dynamic Lyrics that sync lyrics to the lock screen and CarPlay.
The New York Times is asking readers to share how they’ve used biohacking—such as sleep and heart-rate tracking with wearables, supplements, and other practices—to improve cognitive function and job performance, as part of reporting on how employers increasingly measure productivity.
A Tom’s Guide feature explains how using the single-word prompt “Potato” with ChatGPT reconfigures the AI into a hostile critic via custom instructions. When activated, the model acts as a Devil’s Advocate, identifying three holes in an argument, two unproven assumptions, and one unaddressed counterargument, thereby helping users spot biases, gaps, and weak points. The technique aims to boost productivity by providing hard-edged critique quickly, with real-world use cases like pitching features, negotiating salaries, and tough decision-making.
A Tom's Guide feature endorses a universal “unicorn prompt” that makes chatbots slow down and ask clarifying questions before answering. The exact prompt tells the AI to act as your assistant, allow up to three questions if unclear, and then deliver three outputs: the answer, a plan, and potential pitfalls, while noting any assumptions. Practically, this approach improves responses across tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, and is useful for real-life tasks such as drafting awkward messages, planning a week, learning quickly, and getting unstuck when thinking becomes overwhelmed. The piece argues the core AI problem isn’t stupidity but guessing, and the unicorn prompt fixes this by forcing clarification, structure, and conciseness.
At Davos, executives remain broadly optimistic that AI will boost productivity and create new jobs, with leaders like Nvidia's Jensen Huang and IBM's Rob Thomas citing faster delivery and ROI, Bill Gates urging policy preparation and potential AI taxation; but some warn AI could be used to justify layoffs, and Amazon is planning more cuts, reflecting a cautious mood on AI's impact on employment.
A practical guide highlights nine science-backed brain-health habits—sleep quality, regular physical activity, nutrition, stress management, mental challenges, social connections, mindful screen use, ongoing learning, and routine medical checkups—showing how sharper cognition, memory, and decision-making can translate into greater career success in 2026.