Is AI making us lonely at work? The dangers of replacing human interaction with machines

We're in the midst of what Noreena Hertz refers to as the Lonely Century, and nowhere is this more harmful than in the workplace, where loneliness has been associated with higher stress, lower employee engagement, and higher employee turnover.

Might artificial intelligence, and especially the latest wave of generative AI tools, be making matters worse? That was the question posed by a recent study from Northeastern University, which examined whether generative AI is actually isolating us from those around us at work.

A false friend

The appeal of artificial intelligence is hard to ignore. It promises better productivity, fast data analysis, and relief from boring tasks. Both companies and workers are excited and a bit confused by how these tools help them do better work more quickly.

AI has shown that it can match or even surpass humans in many tasks, like analyzing legal documents, forecasting sales, and screening job candidates. Many companies now see not adopting AI as their biggest risk. Recent data shows that 35% of global companies are using AI, and the AI market is expected to reach $1.85 trillion by 2030.

But in their rush to compete and gain from AI's efficiency, many firms forget their most important resource – people. As jobs are broken down into tasks that AI can handle, this could hurt job satisfaction, motivation, and mental well-being. To make AI projects successful and sustainable, it's crucial to focus on people first and technology second.

Connections matter

It's increasingly well understood that connections play a huge role in our work effectiveness and satisfaction. The Northeastern researchers explored how working with AI affects our connections with colleagues and the consequences this has on engagement and effectiveness at work.

Across several studies, the researchers found that employees who were heavy users of AI tended to have a stronger desire to connect with other humans at work. What's more, this desire was generally not being met, and super users reported higher degrees of loneliness at work. This then translated into things like poor-quality sleep and higher alcohol consumption.

Strangely, the more capable AI became, and the more support it afforded to people at work, the less inclined they were to turn to colleagues for help and support. The study found that the more people used AI, the more likely they were to yearn for that human connection that so defines us as humans.

Remaining human

So, despite people reporting that they generally felt more efficient at work, they also reported feeling far more lonely. This suggests that there might be a strong social cost associated with the use of AI at work. What can we do about it?

The researchers recommend that managers actively monitor employees' well-being as a first step. While it's commonplace to monitor the productivity of the workforce, it's perhaps less common to monitor their sense of well-being. Managers' soft skills will be crucial in achieving this via regular check-ins and feedback sessions.

Managers should also consider how AI is integrated into the workflows of employees. It's commonly the case that new technologies are simply dumped onto workflows that were designed for previous generations of technology.

With AI, it's better to rethink things from scratch and ensure that employees retain their sense of control and mastery, both of which are well-known to boost their mental health.

Last, but not least, they advocate thinking of AI as a tool that can help to improve the human experience at work. AI should be used in ways that enrich our jobs, not suck the joy and meaning out of them. If AI does make people more efficient, then it would be useful to recapture some of that time and devote it to fostering connections with colleagues, whether via formal social events or informal ones.

As AI becomes a bigger part of our work, it will change not only how we do our jobs but also how we interact with our colleagues and other people. That's why it's crucial for companies to ensure that using AI to boost efficiency and productivity doesn't come at the cost of employee relationships and interactions.

When considering AI's benefits, firms must also consider its social impact. Instead of seeing AI as a replacement for human workers, it should be viewed as a tool to enhance human skills and potential. This approach will only work if companies create fulfilling and socially connected jobs that positively affect their employees' mental and physical health.