Researchers caution that AI adopters are not representative of the economy as a whole. Companies adopting AI were already larger, growing faster, were more technical, and were more likely to be venture-backed before deploying the technology, making a simple comparison with non- adopters misleading. To account for this, the study compares early adopters with similar companies that had not yet adopted AI rather than companies that have never adopted it.
The report also reveals that AI adoption remains concentrated in knowledge-intensive sectors. Information companies showed the highest adoption rates, followed by finance and professional services, while sectors such as hospitality, arts and healthcare lagged significantly behind.
Ramp said his research is among the first to combine observed AI spending at companies with company-level workforce records, allowing researchers to measure AI adoption based on actual purchases rather than surveys or occupational exposure estimates. The company defines adoption as three consecutive months of at least $100 of vendor spending on AI, with adoption intensity measured by AI spending per employee in the first three months following deployment.
The authors say the results should not be interpreted as evidence that AI promotes hiring, but rather as evidence that companies that invest substantially and sustainably in AI are currently growing faster than comparable companies. They argue that the findings suggest that the initial economic impact of AI may be less about replacing workers and more about enabling the expansion of businesses that can effectively integrate the technology.
