The recent findings from an eight-month field study conducted by researchers at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, published in the Harvard Business Review, highlight a significant paradox in generative AI adoption in the workplace. While AI tools demonstrably boost individual task efficiency and output, they often lead to an intensification of work rather than relief. Employees at a mid-sized U.S. tech firm voluntarily expanded their responsibilities, worked faster with fewer breaks, and extended hours, resulting in workload creep, increased multitasking, cognitive fatigue, and heightened burnout risk. This “productivity trap” undermines the anticipated benefits of reduced workloads, as faster completion of tasks prompts more tasks to be taken on, often blurring work-life boundaries and potentially degrading long-term decision-making quality.
"A groundbreaking study reveals that generative AI, far from lightening workloads as promised, is intensifying them dramatically—driving faster paces, broader…
