Study Finds AI Intensifies Work Rather Than Reducing It
By
walterbell
Lightly browned and well buttered. A solid pick from the rack.
Summary
A study by Berkeley Haas researchers finds that AI tools don't reduce work but instead intensify it by creating a new, exhausting work rhythm. The research, conducted from April to December 2025 with 200 employees at a U.S. tech company, shows that AI enables workers to manage multiple parallel tasks simultaneously—like manually writing code while AI generates alternatives, running multiple agents in parallel, or reviving deferred projects—leading to increased cognitive load and exhaustion despite productivity gains.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledAI Doesn't Reduce Work—It Intensifies It
the productivity boost these things can provide is exhausting
AI introduced a new rhythm in which workers managed several active threads at once
manually writing code while AI generated an alternative version, running multiple agents in parallel, or reviving long-deferred
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