AI is driving a growing productivity split that leaves laggard firms unable to match wages and attract talent
Executive summary: The efficiency differential between AI‑adopting firms and non‑adopters has more than doubled from 2022 to 2025, according to analysts cited in El País. This widening gap makes it difficult for laggard companies to sustain competitive wages and attract skilled personnel, raising the risk of obsolescence.
Who is involved: Analysts, firms that have deployed AI, firms that have not yet adopted AI, and the labor market.
Likely next: Continued AI investment by early adopters, potential policy or labor‑market responses, and further divergence in productivity and wage outcomes.
Analysts warn that the efficiency gap between companies using artificial intelligence and those that do not has more than doubled since 2022, putting pressure on laggard firms to raise wages or lose staff. The disparity threatens to render many businesses obsolete if they cannot adopt AI tools quickly enough. Workers are increasingly drawn to employers that offer AI‑enhanced workplaces, intensifying competition for talent. Unless non‑adopters accelerate AI integration, they face worsening cost structures and market share erosion.
Timeline
- — La IA amplía la brecha de productividad en los negocios: “Las empresas rezagadas no podrán sostener los salarios y atraer personal” (El País — Economía)
- — La IA entra de lleno en los planes de Aena (Expansión)
- — La IA debería poner en guardia a los socios sénior de los despachos (Expansión)
- — La IA no está destruyendo los empleos de nivel inicial. Los está cambiando (Expansión)
- — La IA provoca un cambio de escala del cibercrimen (Expansión)
Analysis — what this means
Sectors affected
- AI infrastructure and data centers
- AI‑powered robotics and automation
- Intelligent manufacturing and semiconductor production
- AI‑driven insurance underwriting
Historical parallels
- Expansion reported on 2026-07-22 that AI is being integrated into Aena’s operational plans
- Expansion noted on 2026-07-20 that senior law‑firm partners are being warned to prepare for AI‑induced fee pressure
- Expansion highlighted on 2026-07-17 that AI is reshaping rather than eliminating entry‑level jobs
- Expansion warned on 2026-07-08 that AI is enabling a scale‑up in cybercrime activity
Key entities
Sources
- La IA amplía la brecha de productividad en los negocios: “Las empresas rezagadas no podrán sostener los salarios y atraer personal” — El País — Economía
- La IA entra de lleno en los planes de Aena — Expansión
- La IA debería poner en guardia a los socios sénior de los despachos — Expansión
- La IA no está destruyendo los empleos de nivel inicial. Los está cambiando — Expansión
- La IA provoca un cambio de escala del cibercrimen — Expansión
Related cases
- Nura Studios launches Showcraft, an AI‑powered platform for film and production workflows
- Open‑source AI is being pursued as an imperfect shield against U.S. technological dominance
- AI-linked stocks account for nearly half of European equity gains year-to-date
- AI-driven tools are expanding the scale and sophistication of cybercrime, raising systemic risk for enterprises and prompting regulatory scrutiny
- HP Iberia’s leader stresses that AI must drive value creation while serving people, positioning the firm’s new Barcelona IA Innovation Hub as a global export platform
- LaLiga delegates match schedule creation to AI, signaling broader automation in sports operations