MUMBAI: The office crystal ball is getting an AI upgrade and many workers think it’s pointing towards automation. More than one-third of Claude users believe artificial intelligence will be capable of handling most or nearly all of their work within the next year, according to Anthropic’s latest Economic Index report, highlighting growing confidence in AI’s expanding role across the workplace.
The findings are based on Anthropic’s Economic Index Survey, which combined responses from around 9,700 Claude users with their usage patterns between mid-May and early June 2026. Participants were asked to estimate what proportion of their work AI could complete today and how much they expected it to handle over the next 12 months.
The results suggest expectations are rising rapidly. Nearly six in 10 respondents believed AI would be able to perform a greater share of their work within a year than it can today, while more than 35 per cent said it could handle most or nearly all of their job tasks over the same period.
Anthropic also found that attitudes towards AI varied according to how people already use the technology. Early-career professionals tended to believe AI could already perform a larger share of their work and were generally more concerned about its potential impact on employment.
Interestingly, users who delegated a greater proportion of their work to Claude were also the most optimistic about AI’s role in their careers. They were more likely to expect positive outcomes for pay, job security and the long-term value of their skills, suggesting that familiarity with AI may be shaping perceptions of its workplace impact.
Beyond the survey, Anthropic analysed how people use Claude in everyday life. The company found that 93 per cent of conversations resulted in a tangible output, with explanations accounting for 17 per cent of interactions, followed by documents and reports at 15 per cent, and guidance at 11 per cent.
Usage patterns also shifted throughout the week. Personal conversations made up around 35 per cent of chat and Cowork sessions on weekdays, rising to just under 50 per cent at weekends as users turned to topics beyond work. The analysis also identified predictable spikes in news-related queries during mornings, recipe requests in the evenings and tax-related prompts around the US filing deadline.
The report underscores how generative AI is becoming increasingly embedded in both professional and personal routines, with users not only relying on AI for productivity but also expecting it to take on a substantially larger role in their working lives over the coming year.