4 AIWorkLoads
FrequencyFebruary 24, 202600:05:13

4 AIWorkLoads

A new HBR study tracked how generative AI actually changed work habits at a tech company over eight months. Employees worked faster, took on more tasks, and pushed into more hours of the day — voluntarily. That productivity surge sounds like a win until you look at where it leads: cognitive fatigue, burnout, and quality that quietly declines.

Chuck brings his own lived experience to this one (his wife can confirm), and both he and Jenni push back on the sample size and generalizability of the research. But they land somewhere useful: the issue isn't AI itself — it's the absence of intention around how you use it.

For IC teams rolling out AI tools right now: this research is a case for communicating limits, not just capabilities.

https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-it