Study: AI Tools Made Workers Busier, Not Less Burdened

Here's a plot twist for the AI productivity narrative: it might actually be making your job harder.

An eight-month study at a US tech company found that AI tools didn't lighten the workload. Instead, they intensified it. Employees worked faster and expanded into a broader range of tasks.

The research, highlighted by Harvard Business Review, flips the script on the standard AI sales pitch. Companies have been pushing hard to get workers using AI assistants, promising reduced burden and streamlined workflows.

Reality had other plans. Rather than coasting on AI efficiency gains, workers simply absorbed more responsibilities. The tools didn't create slack—they filled it with additional demands.

For companies banking on AI to cut costs through reduced headcount, this is an uncomfortable data point. Your employees aren't doing less work. They're just doing more of it, faster.