Workslop is workplace content that was produced by AI and while it may look good on the surface, once you actually dig into it, it’s very low quality. The publication’s official definition is “AI-generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.” Researchers from Harvard Business Review’s BetterUp Labs and the Stanford Social Media Lab have found that workslop is not only frustrating for employees to deal with, but it is actually costing companies money.
What is AI-generated ‘workslop’ and is it costing businesses money?
Answer: Low-quality AI content in the workplace, and yes.
Not all AI-generated content is created equal — there are many times when AI results are less than stellar, and it’s becoming more common in the workplace. The Harvard Business Review has even coined a term for it: workslop.
Workslop is workplace content that was produced by AI and while it may look good on the surface, once you actually dig into it, it’s very low quality. The publication’s official definition is “AI-generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.” Researchers from Harvard Business Review’s BetterUp Labs and the Stanford Social Media Lab have found that workslop is not only frustrating for employees to deal with, but it is actually costing companies money.
Of 1,150 full-time employees surveyed in the U.S., 40 percent reported receiving workslop in the past month. They reported spending an average of one hour and 56 minutes dealing with the problem each time they received workslop. Based on reported salaries, the researchers estimate that this equates to an invisible cost of about $186 per month per employee, which could mean millions in lost yearly productivity for companies with thousands of employees.
Workslop is workplace content that was produced by AI and while it may look good on the surface, once you actually dig into it, it’s very low quality. The publication’s official definition is “AI-generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.” Researchers from Harvard Business Review’s BetterUp Labs and the Stanford Social Media Lab have found that workslop is not only frustrating for employees to deal with, but it is actually costing companies money.
