AI mandates in the workplace drive 'tokenmaxxing' as employees perform pointless AI tasks to meet KPIs
By
Teo Kai Xiang
Baker's choice. Dense with flavour, light on filler.
Summary
The article examines how companies' rush to adopt AI is creating workplace anxiety, including a phenomenon called "tokenmaxxing" — where employees perform pointless AI tasks to meet AI usage KPIs. It highlights the case of the National University of Singapore (NUS), which has been actively encouraging its 12,000 employees to use AI since August 2025 through email campaigns. The piece explores the tension between organizational AI mandates and worker pushback, as employees feel pressured to demonstrate AI engagement even when it adds no real value.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledAI's meteoric rise has unlocked a wealth of exciting possibilities
Tokenmaxxing, the act of deploying AI in pointless tasks to comply with mandates to increase AI usage
Workers clash with AI mandates as new forms of workplace anxiety emerge
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