AI Tools Force Employees to Work Faster and Longer Hours, Study Finds
Summary
New research at a tech company reveals AI tools are backfiring, forcing employees to work faster and longer hours while taking on expanded responsibilities, creating cognitive overload and blurred work-life boundaries that companies must address with structured breaks and intentional practices to prevent widespread burnout.
Key Points
- Research at a 200-employee tech company reveals AI tools intensify work rather than reduce it, causing employees to work faster, take on broader tasks, and extend work into more hours without being asked
- Workers experience task expansion by stepping into others' responsibilities, blurred work-life boundaries through constant AI prompting during breaks, and increased multitasking that creates cognitive overload
- Companies need to develop intentional 'AI practices' including structured pauses, work sequencing, and human connection time to prevent burnout and maintain sustainable productivity as voluntary workload expansion masks growing strain