Feds Add AI Questions to How Americans Spend Their Time
Published Date: 7/10/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Labor wants to add new questions about Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) to learn how people use AI in their daily lives. This will help researchers understand AI’s impact on work and free time without adding too much extra work for survey participants. If you want to share your thoughts, you have until September 8, 2026, to comment—no money changes, just smarter questions!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
New ATUS AI Questions Add Small Time Burden
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will add new Artificial Intelligence (AI) questions to the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The module will be asked of Individuals or Households with an Annual Number of Respondents of 7,672, an Average Time per Response of 2 minutes, and Estimated Annual Total Burden Hours of 256.
New AI Data for Researchers and Policymakers
BLS will produce public-use microdata files, tabulations, and technical documentation that link individuals' AI use to 24-hour activity diaries. The AI items are intended to show whether individuals used AI, the tasks for which they used it, how use varies across groups, and how AI relates to time spent in work, education, household production, and leisure; fielding begins January 2027 for two years.
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Key Dates
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