AI Intensifies Work for Employees, Studies Show

New research finds AI is increasing workloads and productivity demands instead of reducing them.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 12:57pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Multiple studies have found that the introduction of AI in the workplace is actually forcing employees to work harder, not easier. A new analysis by ActivTrak of over 164,000 workers found that AI 'intensified' their jobs, with time spent on email, messaging, and business software surging after AI was implemented. This came at the expense of focused, uninterrupted work time. Other research has also concluded that AI causes 'workload creep' as employees feel pressure to take on more tasks to keep up with the increased pace set by AI tools.

Why it matters

As AI becomes more prevalent in the workplace, there are growing concerns that it is having the opposite effect of what was intended - making work more demanding for employees instead of streamlining tasks and reducing workloads. This raises questions about the long-term impacts on employee wellbeing, productivity, and work-life balance.

The details

The ActivTrak study examined the digital work activity of over 164,000 employees before and after they started using AI at work. It found that time spent on email, messaging, and chat apps more than doubled, while use of business software surged by 94%. However, time spent on focused, uninterrupted work fell by 9% for AI users. Another recent study by researchers at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business found that AI causes a 'workload creep' where employees take on more tasks than is sustainable to keep up with the increased pace set by AI tools. This can lead to cognitive overload, burnout, and declining work quality over time.

  • The ActivTrak study examined employee activity 180 days before and after they started using AI.
  • The UC Berkeley study is an ongoing research project focused on a tech firm where AI usage is voluntary.

The players

ActivTrak

A software company that analyzed the digital work activity of over 164,000 employees.

Gabriela Mauch

ActivTrak's chief customer officer and head of its productivity lab.

Aruna Ranganathan

A researcher at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business who led the ongoing study on AI 'workload creep'.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It's not that AI doesn't create efficiency. It's that the capacity it frees up immediately gets repurposed into doing other work, and that's where the creep is likely to happen.”

— Gabriela Mauch, ActivTrak's chief customer officer and head of its productivity lab

“Workers often use the time savings to do more work rather than less because AI makes additional tasks feel easy and accessible, creating a sense of momentum. Though it may boost productivity in the short-run, over time it can lead to cognitive overload, burnout, poorer decision-making and declining work quality.”

— Aruna Ranganathan, Researcher at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business

What’s next

Researchers plan to continue studying the long-term impacts of AI on employee workloads and productivity to better understand how to optimize the technology for both business needs and worker wellbeing.

The takeaway

As AI becomes more prevalent in the workplace, there is a growing need to carefully manage its implementation to ensure it enhances productivity without overburdening employees. Striking the right balance will be crucial to avoiding unintended consequences like burnout and declining work quality.