The burning question at the heart of the AI revolution in the workplace is ultimately: Is it worth it? Does productivity improve? Do costs come down? Is it remotely as progressive and transformative as the AI developers claim? A new study published in the Harvard Business Review suggests that although AI has the potential to marginally improve productivity, it also leads to workers taking on more pressure, resulting in more unforced errors and more frequent employee burnout.
The source of this success and concern didn't come from the employers, either, but the employees themselves. This suggests that even in companies where AI use isn't mandated or even explicitly encouraged, employers may need to adopt AI codes of practice that protect their employees from their own tendencies.
The study in this case saw researchers embed themselves in a U.S. technology company with around 200 employees for eight months. There, they observed employee practices, tracked internal communication channels like Slack, and conducted around 40 in-depth interviews.
The results suggest greater nuance to the AI in the workplace debate about whether it's effective or not. By observing how it was used and the effect it had on employee confidence and stress levels, the study suggests that AI at work needs careful management, even when the results are positive.
The gains are real
(Image credit: Google)
Unlike other studies, which have suggested few companies have benefitted from the effects of AI on their buisiness, or that using AI can actually increase the amount of time spent on a task, even if it felt like it was lessened, this study is quite unambiguous: the AI helped employees do more, with the caveat that the increased productivity often came with an "intensification," of the workplace.
By having an AI on hand to answer simple questions and coach employees into tasks they weren't familiar with, many of them felt they could take on new tasks.
"Product managers and designers began writing code; researchers took on engineering tasks; and individuals across the organization attempted work they would have outsourced, deferred, or avoided entirely in the past," researchers said.
Employees felt tasks outside their usual wheelhouse were accessible and attainable because AI held their hand while they learned how to do it. This increased the scope of many employees' roles. But it also meant they were taking on tasks they really weren't qualified to do, performing work at times and places where they might otherwise be resting, and felt capable of multitasking in ways that meant they were juggling more varied tasks.
... continue reading