AI Isn't Reducing Workload, Quite the Opposite: It's Intensifying Work
A 2026 Harvard Business Review study reveals that artificial intelligence, rather than eliminating jobs, is making work faster and more complex. Increases in productivity signify not 'less work,' but 'continuous optimization' and intensified tasks.
The AI and Productivity Paradox: Why Isn't the Workload Getting Lighter?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged in recent years as one of the most transformative technologies in the business world, promising efficiency and automation. However, a striking 2026 study by Harvard Business Review reveals that, contrary to expectations, this technology is not reducing workload but rather making work faster, more complex, and more intense. This finding serves as a realistic warning for those dreaming of 'working less' in offices and factories.
The Hidden Truth Revealed by the Harvard Study
The research shows that in workplaces where AI tools are adopted, employees are freed from routine tasks but are then redirected towards higher-level, analytical, and continuously monitored work. For example, a text-generation tool can quickly produce a draft, but the employee spends extra time editing it with a human touch, strategically adapting it, and continuously optimizing it. This situation signifies not the disappearance of work, but a change and intensification in its nature.
Not Less Work, But the Age of Continuous Optimization
The fundamental truth pointed to by the research is that AI is ushering us into an age of 'continuous optimization,' not 'less work.' While AI increases the speed of completing a task, it also brings with it the expectation of doing more work, analyzing more data, and continuously improving within the same timeframe. This creates an effect that increases 'performance pressure' on employees.
Education and Ethics: Positioning AI Correctly
The Ministry of National Education's Ethical Statement on Artificial Intelligence Applications adds an important perspective to this discussion. The statement emphasizes that artificial intelligence should be used solely to support pedagogical goals, enhance teaching quality, and develop students' higher-order thinking skills. This positions AI not as a tool that completely sidelines humans, but as one that augments and refines human capabilities within a structured, ethical framework.
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