More damage than help: 56% employees say AI increases workload

The creators of artificial intelligence (AI) have promised us a miraculous productivity boost; yet, the reality paints a different picture. More than half of employees say that the use of AI has increased their workload.

Employees are increasingly anxious about AI replacing expertise rather than supporting it, according to a recent survey by the trade union Professionals Australia.

The survey polled more than 2,000 professionals across various STEM industries, including engineering, pharmacy, and science.

The findings reveal a wide adoption of AI in Australian workplaces. Nearly eight in ten (78%) professionals report using AI tools or systems as part of their current work, particularly for tasks such as data analysis, design, and documentation.

While STEM professionals increasingly view AI as essential to their work, they say its implementation is often inconsistent, rushed, or untested before being rolled out.

Less than one in five (18%) say they received formal training for using AI at work. Others report learning through trial and error or peer support.

Unsurprisingly, a staggering 56% of respondents say AI only increased their workload,

Nearly half (48%) report that AI adds new layers of work or delays, while one in three (31%) say the technology reduces clarity or slows decision-making.

Only 17% of professionals experienced a reduction in their workload due to AI, and 27% report no changes, according to the survey.

Does AI produce quality work?

Companies are rushing to adopt AI to avoid falling behind, but they don’t necessarily see the benefits they expected.

Forty percent of American employees report having received “AI workslop.” The term, coined by the Harvard Business Review, describes low-effort AI-generated work that appears good but lacks substance and “masquerades as productivity.”

Experts say some workers under pressure to use AI are doing the same work twice – first manually and then using AI “just to be safe.”

The findings of the new survey echo a recent study, which found that American employees in fields most exposed to generative AI work about 3.15 hours more per week since the introduction of ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, their leisure time decreased by about 3.20 hours per week, with non-screen-based activities like relaxing and socializing being most affected.

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