Shafaqna English- Artificial intelligence is expected to boost workplace productivity, but researchers warn it could also increase working hours, intensify competition and accelerate burnout, according to The Conversation.
Rather than freeing workers from routine tasks, AI could create new pressure to work harder as employees fear automation and job losses. In workplaces where time spent working is used as a proxy for productivity, workers may stay longer to signal their value to employers.
The effect could be particularly strong in industries highly exposed to AI. Research has found that employees in sectors such as finance and IT are staying at work later than those in less AI-exposed industries, suggesting that automation fears may already be changing workplace behavior.
At the same time, employers may overestimate how much AI improves productivity, creating expectations that employees can complete significantly more work within the same hours. Rapid changes in AI tools also require workers to continually adapt, undergo training and redesign established workflows.
However, researchers argue that longer hours and burnout are not inevitable. If AI is designed to augment rather than replace workers, it could strengthen employees’ skills, expertise and bargaining power, potentially allowing them to negotiate better working conditions and more flexible working hours.
The outcome, they suggest, will depend not only on what AI can do, but on who controls how it is designed and implemented in the workplace.
Source: The Conversation