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Employers have long been touting that AI will make workers’ jobs easier by cutting out their busywork and freeing time up for other more engaging pursuits. But as it turns out, the new tech may be only making their lives harder.
While the vast majority of C-suite leaders believe AI will increase their company’s overall productivity levels, 77% of employees say these tools have only added to their workload, according to a new study from Upwork, a freelancing platform. Part of that is because they’re still adapting to the tech—around 23% are investing more time to learn how to use the tools. But there are hints that there may be more long-term struggles at play. Around 39% of workers report spending more time reviewing or moderating AI-generated content, and 21% say they’re asked to do more as a direct result of AI.
Beyond the increased workload, staffers are also overwhelmed with higher efficiency expectations stemming from the new technology. Around 47% of employees say they have no idea how they’re supposed to achieve the productivity gains their bosses expect, and 40% believe their companies are asking too much of them when it comes to AI, the report says.
“Our research shows that introducing new technologies into outdated work models and systems is failing to unlock the full expected productivity value of AI,” Kelly Monahan, managing director of The Upwork Research Institute, wrote in a statement.
The push for employees to use AI to boost productivity is affecting their well-being. About 71% of full-time staffers are burnt out, and 65% are struggling to meet their employers’ productivity demands, according to the report. Due to higher workloads and exhaustion, one in three full-time employees say they will likely quit their jobs in the next six months.
Executives aren’t completely blind to the AI squeeze that workers are feeling. Around 81% of global C-suite leaders acknowledge they have increased demands on their workers in the past year, according to the study. But Monahan says to tap into those AI-led efficiency gains, something has to give. “While it’s certainly possible for AI to simultaneously boost productivity and improve employee well-being, this outcome will require a fundamental shift in how we organize talent and work.”
If we’ve learned anything from IBM’s HR chatbot slipup, it’s that you won’t win over employees by simply throwing new technology at your workforce without any transitory measures or behavioral changes. Monahan suggests that bosses ease into the process by leading with AI skills development and employing talent comfortable with the tech.
“In order to reap the full productivity value of AI, leaders need to create an AI-enhanced work model,” she says. “This includes co-creating measures of productivity with their workforces, and developing a deep understanding of and proficiency in implementing a skills-based approach to hiring and talent development. Only then will leaders be able to avoid the risk of losing critical workers and advance their innovation agenda.”
Emma Burleigh
emma.burleigh@fortune.com
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