Although AI has been introduced to increase work efficiency, on the other hand, it causes employees to work harder and carry a massive amount of work-related information.
Research by ActivTrak reveals that introducing artificial intelligence in the workplace does not reduce employees' existing workload as expected; instead, it becomes a factor causing employees to work harder and face accumulated stress.
ActivTrak data shows that in the 180 days after AI adoption, employee communication via email and chat applications more than doubled.
Meanwhile, business software usage surged by 94 percent, contrasting with a 9 percent decrease in time spent on continuous focused work, because employees must frequently switch tasks to manage the increased influx of data and work.
This phenomenon, called Workload Creep, is highlighted by research from Harvard Business Review and UC Berkeley, which indicates that when AI saves time on some tasks, the freed-up time is often immediately filled with new work unknowingly, creating a cycle of unrealistic expectations—from supervisors demanding faster results and employees taking on more work due to feeling supported by tools—resulting in pressure to constantly rely on AI to maintain speedy work standards. This has caused average AI usage to increase eightfold over the past two years.
Beyond the increased workload, employees also face AI Brain Fry from information overload, and they must verify the accuracy of AI outputs.
Research from UC Berkeley states that while AI can boost short-term productivity, in the long term it may cause burnout, poorer decision-making, and declining work quality due to cognitive fatigue.
However, the research suggests that the optimal balance for effective AI use should be 7-10 percent of total work hours, but current figures show only 3 percent of users maintain AI usage within this range. Organizations need to review AI policies at work, focusing not only on quantitative efficiency gains but also on employees’ mental wellbeing and preserving space for tasks requiring deep concentration.
/source:Futurism