The researchers caution that AI adopters are not representative of the broader economy. Companies adopting AI were already larger, faster-growing, more technical and more likely to be venture-backed before deploying the technology, making simple comparisons with non-adopters misleading. To account for that, the study compares early adopters with similar firms that had not yet adopted AI rather than firms that never adopted it.
The report also found AI adoption remains concentrated in knowledge-intensive industries. Information companies posted the highest adoption rates, followed by finance and professional services, while sectors such as hospitality, arts and healthcare lagged significantly behind.
Ramp said its research is among the first to combine observed corporate AI spending with firm-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 in AI vendor spending, with adoption intensity measured by AI spend per employee during the first three months after deployment.
The authors say the results should not be interpreted as proof that AI causes hiring, but rather as evidence that firms making substantial, sustained AI investments are currently growing faster than comparable companies. They argue the findings suggest AI’s early economic impact may be less about replacing workers and more about enabling expansion at companies able to integrate the technology effectively.
