As AI starts coming in to automate routine tasks, employees now have a new job in managing those AI systems. As an example, the article cites a report from 2024 that found AI can sometimes slow things down because employees have to double-check its work for AI-specific errors like hallucinations, which wouldn’t have been there to begin with if a human had done the work. The report calls these “hidden workloads that negate the benefit of automating outsourcing tasks.”
Is AI going to make work worse?
Answer: Possibly.
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A new report published in the journal Occupational Medicine highlights some of the potential risks of artificial intelligence in the workplace. The researchers found that if we’re not careful about how we implement AI, it could lead to more workplace stress, rather than less.
As AI starts coming in to automate routine tasks, employees now have a new job in managing those AI systems. As an example, the article cites a report from 2024 that found AI can sometimes slow things down because employees have to double-check its work for AI-specific errors like hallucinations, which wouldn’t have been there to begin with if a human had done the work. The report calls these “hidden workloads that negate the benefit of automating outsourcing tasks.”
This can lead to increased responsibilities without increased pay, because AI is billed as a way to make things easier. This is especially true if employees don’t receive proper training on how to leverage new AI systems most effectively. The researchers stress the importance of “finding routes to sharing learning” as we adopt AI and ensuring that we transition to these technologies with care for their human counterparts.
As AI starts coming in to automate routine tasks, employees now have a new job in managing those AI systems. As an example, the article cites a report from 2024 that found AI can sometimes slow things down because employees have to double-check its work for AI-specific errors like hallucinations, which wouldn’t have been there to begin with if a human had done the work. The report calls these “hidden workloads that negate the benefit of automating outsourcing tasks.”
