New study finds AI doesn’t reduce work — it intensifies it
The rapid adoption of AI by businesses was fueled by the promise of huge productivity boosts that could supercharge workers. A new study has found that while it did indeed boost workers’ productivity, the use of generative AI at work also made work more intense and creep into workers’ downtime.
Researchers Aruna Ranganathan and Xingqi Maggie Ye followed about 200 workers at a US tech company for 8 months. They found AI did speed up work, allowing employees to take on more responsibilities. But after the novelty of their newfound superpowers wore off, workers reported “cognitive fatigue, burnout, and weakened decision-making.”
The researchers noted that to avoid AI-inspired burnout and turnover, organizations should adopt an “AI practice,” spelling out how the technology is expected to be used, and what kinds of limits are in place.
Researchers Aruna Ranganathan and Xingqi Maggie Ye followed about 200 workers at a US tech company for 8 months. They found AI did speed up work, allowing employees to take on more responsibilities. But after the novelty of their newfound superpowers wore off, workers reported “cognitive fatigue, burnout, and weakened decision-making.”
The researchers noted that to avoid AI-inspired burnout and turnover, organizations should adopt an “AI practice,” spelling out how the technology is expected to be used, and what kinds of limits are in place.
