Microsoft employees share AI spending insights in internal spreadsheet

Microsoft employees have voluntarily shared details about their AI tool usage through an internal spreadsheet, offering a rare look into how the company's workforce is integrating artificial intelligence into their daily tasks. The document, reviewed by Business Insider, includes data on employees' salaries, bonuses, stock awards, and the monetary value of AI tools they used over the past month. The internal tool for tracking AI usage is still in early testing, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. The spreadsheet, which contains nearly 600 entries from U.S. employees, highlights significant variation in AI spending across different teams, with some employees reporting usage as high as $28,000 over 28 days. The median AI usage was approximately $300 during the same period. However, there was no clear link between higher AI usage and increased financial rewards or promotions, as per the analysis. Microsoft is not the only tech company monitoring AI consumption. Across Big Tech, firms are increasingly tracking how employees use AI as they invest billions in developing models and infrastructure. The data, however, is self-reported and may contain inaccuracies. Business Insider's analysis excluded teams with limited entries, noting that the data provides only a small snapshot of the company's overall AI usage. While the information is shared voluntarily and anonymously to promote pay transparency, it is not considered official or comprehensive. With over 223,000 employees, the limited number of entries in the spreadsheet means the data reflects only a fraction of Microsoft's workforce. The lack of a meaningful correlation between AI usage and rewards suggests that the company is still exploring how to measure and reward AI integration within its teams.