Although workers often cited their AI use as "just trying things," the over-confident expansion of their own responsibilities meant that they often required additional help to do a job that would have been better off being handed off to a professional, or for headcount to be increased to handle the additional responsibility.
Prompts are quick and easy assemble for many, but the responses often take time to read through or action. That meant workers who used AI a lot would often find ways to slip in an extra prompt just before they went off to lunch, or while working on other tasks. This additionnal multi-tasking made workers feel busier and more productive. They were able to handle more tasks at once because the AI was often doing something in the background.
But that added to workers' mental load. Workers were forced to jump between multiple tasks, playing havoc with their attention span. It demanded frequent checking of AI outputs, and that sometimes led to tasks lying incomplete for longer as they joined the carousel of ongoing tasks that were not as straightforward as they might have been, had they been handled by a professional whose sole role is that kind of job.
Downtime was impacted too. Workers would throw out prompts while they ate their lunch or while waiting for the coffee maker to brew. This conversational style blurred the lines between what was work and what was socializing, meaning that over time, workers often filled what should be rest time with more work.
Playing into the 24/7 access culture for many workers, employees in this study often found that they struggled to relax or feel as rejuvenated by time away from work, because the pressure of one more easy prompt was always there.
Although the study doesn't take this speculative leap, I wonder if AI use and its instant gratification of conversational-style responses mean that workers are using it a little like social media. They chase the dopamine hit of a response and the added satisfaction of completing a task, even if that means taking on more cognitive load than they can comfortably handle.
Someone should do a study on whether AI response times have been designed to be addictive, as well as give the tool enough time to produce an effective response.
The study's hypothesis that AI work begets more work proved accurate. Workers were faster and more productive with certain tasks, meaning they often took on more to fill that time, often relying on AI to do so. That reliance introduced additional work for them and their colleagues, and spread those tasks across a broader timeframe, meaning some work took longer, introduced more errors, and required additional time, effort, and mental energy.
The effect was workers who felt like they were getting a lot more done were more often getting a little more done, and ultimately found themselves burning out from the whole process.
And that's within a company that didn't force AI on its employees. While employers might see workers pulling themselves up by their AI bootstraps as at least partially positive, the long-term negative effects could be dire.
Errors may mount, experienced workers may leave, and businesses may find it increasingly harder to spot what's actually beneficial and what's just AI-induced busy work.
To combat this, researchers suggest employers should adopt AI codes of practice, whether they encourage AI use or not. This should involve dedicated pauses that force workers to reflect on how a task is being managed and if it could be handled differently. This should go hand in hand with focusing on a single or limited number of tasks at one time.
To help maintain attention span and avoid constant work creep, prompts could be sent out in batches, and their responses actioned within a specific timing window. Instead of constantly receiving notifications, workers could be sent a report on AI activity and responses once an hour, instead of at the rate of conversation.
The authors also emphasised the importance of human connection. Lunch breaks, water-cooler chats, employer check-ins and wellbeing meetings. These spaces should be protected from AI creeping into that time.
"By institutionalizing time and space for listening and dialogue, organizations re-anchor work in social context and help counter the depleting, individualizing effects of fast, AI-mediated work," the study concluded.
Jon Martindale is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. For the past 20 years, he's been writing about PC components, emerging technologies, and the latest software advances. His deep and broad journalistic experience gives him unique insights into the most exciting technology trends of today and tomorrow. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-13/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Jon Martindale Freelance Writer Jon Martindale is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. For the past 20 years, he's been writing about PC components, emerging technologies, and the latest software advances. His deep and broad journalistic experience gives him unique insights into the most exciting technology trends of today and tomorrow.
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/using-ai-actually-increases-burnout-despite-productivity-improvements-study-shows-data-illustrates-how-ai-made-workers-take-on-tasks-they-would-have-otherwise-avoided-or-outsourced#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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