- A Harvard Business Review study finds AI tools intensify work, leading to “workload creep” rather than reduction.
- 83% of corporate professionals report burnout, with AI enabling task expansion and blurred work-life boundaries.
- Researchers recommend implementing an “AI practice” with structured pauses to combat cognitive fatigue and turnover.
A new study published this week in the Harvard Business Review confirms AI is accelerating work, not reducing it. Research from UC-Berkeley and Yale at a 200-person tech firm revealed distinct patterns of intensification.
First, AI enabled task expansion, blurring traditional role boundaries. Product managers began writing code while researchers took on engineering work, as “you don’t work less. You just work the same amount or even more,” one engineer told researchers.
Consequently, this created a Ripple effect, generating more work for colleagues to review and correct outputs. The conversational interface of AI also blurred the lines between work and personal time, as workers sent prompts during free hours.
Meanwhile, a survey by DHR Global found 83% of 1,500 professionals are experiencing burnout. This follows a 2024 Upwork Research Institute report where 77% of AI users said the tools decreased their productivity.
However, the Upwork institute also reported AI-related skills are now the most in-demand. The Berkeley researchers warn this expansion risks cognitive fatigue and weakened decision-making.
Their proposed solution is for companies to develop an intentional “AI practice.” This includes structured pauses, sequencing work to reduce context-switching, and protecting time for human connection.
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