A survey of 1,035 tech professionals from 23 European countries, conducted by Shakers, a platform that connects companies with tech freelancers, suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) has notably improved productivity for many in the industry. Nearly half of the respondents said they produce at least 26% more work thanks to AI, with 20% reporting an increase of over 50%. The use of AI has moved beyond the testing phase, as 73% of respondents use at least one AI tool or automated process in their daily tasks. Moreover, 60% of participants said they could not easily do without these tools. The survey challenges a 2025 estimate by MIT that 95% of generative AI projects fail before integration. Among 878 Shakers respondents who worked on AI projects in the past year, 63% have implemented at least half of them, and 35% have implemented most or all of them. However, the study uses a strict definition of success: a solution must be used by real users or systems and remain active for 90 days after launch. This differs from the MIT estimate, which relied on company-level evaluations. Freelancers and full-time employees do not benefit equally from the time saved by AI. According to the survey, 68% of freelancers use the extra time to take on more clients, raise their rates, or reduce their working hours. In contrast, among full-time employees, 43% retain the benefit, 36% see it captured by their employer, and 21% lose it in meetings and administrative tasks. Salary increases also vary: 65% of full-time employees report no raise for productivity gains linked to AI, compared to 39% of freelancers. Freelancers who raised their rates did so by an average of 25% (median 20%), while employees received an average increase of 9% (median 5%). This finding contrasts with a survey by Ipsos bva for Google, which found that 57% of companies that have invested in AI have increased their employees' salaries. Meanwhile, 24% of employees are seriously considering going self-employed within 24 months, with income level and the desire for autonomy as key motivations. The survey also found that 25% of respondents do not disclose the proportion of their work done using AI to their employer or clients. Only 1.2% actively avoid discussing the topic, while the rest simply do not mention it, and no one asks them about it. Most respondents believe that revealing AI use increases their value (37%) rather than fearing the opposite (14%). However, a ban on AI would not eliminate its use, as 14% would continue to use it secretly, and 6.3% would leave their job or client. Meanwhile, 39% would comply with a ban, expecting a drop in the quality of their work. A previous survey in spring 2026, involving 807 digital professionals, found that restrictions on generative AI remain rare, with 8.4% of respondents working for a company that advises against using generative AI tools—slightly down from 10.3% in 2024. The Shakers survey was conducted directly by Shakers without the involvement of a third-party institute, and no margin of error was provided. It included 1,035 tech professionals with at least three years of experience from 23 European countries: 963 from the Prolific panel and 72 from the Shakers network. Among them were 229 freelancers and 806 employees, including 130 with independent activity.