Employees Contradict Tech Leaders’ Claim That AI Reduces Work Hours for Staff
Artificial intelligence was once presented as a way to give workers more free time. Executives across the technology industry have argued that increasingly capable AI systems could handle routine tasks, allowing employees to work fewer hours without sacrificing productivity. Evidence from inside several leading AI companies, however, suggests the reality may be moving in the opposite direction. A Google engineering executive predicted several years ago that AI could help bring about a four-day working week by 2025. OpenAI later encouraged businesses to experiment with a four-day schedule while maintaining employees’ salaries, arguing that advances in AI could significantly increase productivity. However, a former OpenAI technical worker told the BBC that the company…