Companies across the United States are discovering that artificial intelligence is changing work faster than anyone expected. According to new research from Cognizant, AI can now handle $4.5 trillion worth of work tasks across American businesses. This means AI could affect about 93% of all jobs today. However, businesses are finding that simply buying AI tools is not enough. Workers need training, and companies must redesign how jobs work to get real value from AI. A study from Workday found that while 85% of employees are saving one to seven hours per week using AI, only 14% see real positive outcomes. The problem is that many companies are spending money on AI technology but not investing enough in training their people. Research from Anthropic shows that AI is helping with complex, higher-skill work the most. Meanwhile, employers in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Japan, and South Korea are exploring AI use, with 34% of companies already using it and 49% planning to try it. The bottom line is that AI's real power comes when businesses combine smart technology with smarter people.