AI is making work more intense, research shows
Image: Canva
Artificial intelligence was supposed to take tedious tasks off workers’ plates to free up more time for meaningful work.
But a new study from workplace productivity software company ActivTrak suggests it may be doing the opposite, and intensifying the modern workday instead of easing it.
Let’s break it down
ActivTrak examined 164,000 workers’ digital work activity, focusing on the 180 days before and after they began using AI tools on the job. They discovered that employees became more active across their digital workdays after the technology entered the mix.
Some of the biggest changes showed up in workplace communication:
- Time spent on email, messaging, and chat apps nearly doubled, while usage of business-management tools like HR and accounting software jumped 94%.
- The study found AI helped workers draft emails faster, which resulted in more emails being sent out in a shorter amount of time.
“It’s not that AI doesn’t create efficiency, it’s that the capacity it frees up immediately gets repurposed into doing other work,” said Gabriela Mauch, ActivTrak’s chief customer officer and head of its productivity lab.
At the same time, workers spent less time in long, uninterrupted stretches of focused work used to solve complex problems. Those periods fell 9% among employees using AI compared with those who weren’t using the tools.
The results track with other research
A new analysis published in Harvard Business Review found that productivity tools powered by AI can intensify work instead of reducing it, as organizations often raise expectations once employees begin completing tasks faster.
And a recent UC Berkeley study found AI-enabled tech workers reported feeling “momentum and a sense of expanded capability,” but also feeling “busier, more stretched, or less able to fully disconnect.”
Researchers say the technology often changes the pace of work more than the amount, lowering the barrier to producing emails, summaries, and reports, which can increase the overall volume of workplace communication.
Big picture: AI adoption is rising quickly among America’s workforce. ActivTrak’s data shows 80% of workers now use AI tools in some form, up from 53% two years ago, while Gallup surveys show similar levels of white-collar AI adoption across the US.
📊 Flash poll: To our working readers who use AI tools on the job: all things considered, has the technology made your overall workload easier or harder to manage?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that many Americans tend to derive meaning and identity from what they do, meaning AI disruptions leading to layoffs will hit workers even harder, while the remaining employees will strive to increase their outputs and ensure they remain a valuable contributor to the workforce.
- Others contend that while every headline and article seems to frame AI increasing worker productivity as a cautionary tale about burnout, but it also presents something surprisingly hopeful about AI and the future of work where people are more engaged and passionate about what they do.
- “America isn’t ready for what AI will do to jobs” –Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic
- “AI might make your job more fun” –Gautam Mukunda, Bloomberg
- “How AI is impacting 700 professions — and might impact yours” –Youyou Zhou, Washington Post
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that AI is quickly transforming many areas of how we work, with one major area being how employers find workers and how workers find employers—though AI shouldn’t replace effort, honesty, or human judgment.
- Others contend that AI is a transformative technology that makes tasks at many jobs unnecessary, but it won’t render humans obsolete, and the disruption of white-collar work might do a lot of good overall for workers and the economy.
- “AI is changing the job hunt” –Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Editorial Board
- “What AI is really coming for” –Washington Post Editorial Board
- “How Fast Can A.I. Change the Workplace?” –Ross Douthat, NY Times
Share this!
Recent Discussion stories
Discussion
| March 16, 2026War in the Middle East enters its third week
Israeli and US forces continued bombarding targets across Iran over the weekend, while Tehran kept up its strikes against Israeli and American targets across the Middle East, as the war in the region entered its third week.
Discussion
| March 13, 2026TSA faces calls for privatization as its baggage grows
Government shutdowns can feel abstract until you’re dragging a suitcase through a TSA line that barely moves.
Discussion
| March 11, 2026Trump urges Congress to SAVE America
In a meeting of House Republicans in Florida this week, President Trump once again warned lawmakers that he won’t sign any bills—outside of DHS funding—until Congress approves a new voter ID measure called the SAVE America Act.
You've made it this far...
Let's make our relationship official, no 💍 or elaborate proposal required. Learn and stay entertained, for free.👇
All of our news is 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime; the quiz takes ~10 seconds to complete