- Some argue that AI could help make the four-day work week a reality.
- But one CEO predicts that AI could actually increase the demand for workers as businesses operate 24/7.
- Supporters of short weeks said it's up to employers to decide whether AI will take away their jobs or make them work four days.
Vinny Gill works almost every day.
He is the founder and CEO of Kognitos, a company that uses generative artificial intelligence to automate business processes. As the company's inventor, Mr. Gill expects to work on weekends.
He also predicts that as AI becomes more deeply embedded in the workplace, more talented people will need to do the same.
Much of the talk about how AI will rewrite our job descriptions revolves around the idea that tireless bots will take over many of the menial tasks. The theory is that this will allow us to focus on so-called deep work, more creative work, and perhaps ease the transition to a four-day work week.
Steve Cohen, hedge fund titan and majority owner of the New York Mets, appears to support this theory. In early April, he said that could lead to even more demand for leisure businesses, meaning people would be able to spend more time playing golf.
But Gill believes there are other possibilities besides fairway overtime. AI could strengthen an “always on” culture, putting pressure on at least some people to work more, not less.
“Ordinary companies will use AI just to stay competitive. If you let AI make decisions that humans need to make, companies will become machines that work 24/7,” he told Business Insider. told.
He predicts that once customers get used to receiving service from AI on the weekends, they may come to expect that level of response all the time.
“Human physical labor will be reduced, but they will always be on call, because companies are not going to rest, because it's all about competition, and they're not going to rest.” he said.
Of course, if a human needs to constantly monitor the AI bot, a worker could also take on babysitting duties at different times of the day. For some employees, this can add up to less than 40 hours per week. But for others, that may not be the case, argues Gill.
“My customers take Saturdays and Sundays off, so Gill can tell his engineers to take the weekend off.” But looking at how AI will change the way humans work, “people will It's going to get more tiring and busy,” Gill said. “It's not universally true, but it's true in the vast majority of cases.”
looking for something in return
Not everyone thinks AI will crush the dream of a four-day work week. Emily Rose McRae, senior director analyst at research firm Gartner, predicts the idea will go from “radical to everyday.” She told her BI that when AI becomes our taskmaster, it may be difficult for companies to justify the additional expense of powering their operations around the clock.
“There has to be some return on these costs, and the phrase 'my competitors are doing it too' only works if there is a demand for that kind of compensation,” McRae said. She added that many companies have reduced the level of service they once provided in recent years due to resistance from employees who feel overworked.
McRae believes competitive pressures may lead more companies to experiment with four-day work weeks before leadership feels ready to ensure bosses are more aligned with employees. There is. It would also be difficult to operate 24/7, she said, as it could require too many workers.
“We fundamentally don't have enough labor,” McRae said. “AI allows us to do things faster, instead of 24 hours.”
Simon Johnson, professor of global economics and management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, told BI that many white-collar workers are already feeling pressure to work overtime. “I don't see how AI will help with that,” he says.
Still, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he expected a four-day weekend to become a reality. But when it comes to AI, he said, one of the big questions is that the technology could create new tasks in the next five to 10 years that we can't even imagine. The answer may help shape our week.
“There could be more pressure on work,” he said, adding that it could also allow people to focus on more creative pursuits at work or in their own time.
But so far, Johnson says, the productivity gains for existing tasks that AI can take on are modest.
Everyday workers will benefit as technology allows us to do more. But if that doesn't happen and people start to lose their jobs, there will be even more competition for the jobs that remain.
“In such a situation, you cannot pay workers more money or reduce their working hours,” he said.
Alexey Korotich, vice president of products at labor management platform Wrike, told BI that AI gives employees access to information in real-time whenever they want, leading to some employees leaving the company. He said this could make things more difficult and increase the pressure to perform. “Always on.”
He pointed to the advantages that email offered over snail mail. Messages can be delivered in seconds instead of days or weeks, increasing efficiency for businesses.
“E-mail solved their problem. But e-mail created another problem: humans have a hard time replying to e-mail because sending e-mail is so cheap. “This means that we are working hard,” Korotic said.
It's the management's choice.
Even if AI allows many of us to work fewer hours, it will be important for our bosses to work fewer hours as well, says 4 Day, a nonprofit organization that advocates for shorter work weeks. Week Global CEO Dale Whelehan told BI. Otherwise, workers who want to rise to managerial positions will feel pressured to work harder to reflect that behavior.
Whelehan said it will ultimately be up to employers to decide whether AI will result in job losses or a four-day work week.
“In the early 2000s, technology was the big hope. It was thought that technology would lead to huge job losses, but that wasn't the case. Technology created tons of new jobs. We've created an enormous amount of innovation, so what hasn't it done?' It's actually made our lives easier in terms of better work-life balance,'' he said. .
Cognitos' Gill said that even with the help of AI, the workweek may not max out at four days because many people want to save more money and continue to advance in the career ladder. thinking about.
In his view, the number of hours someone works per week is not necessarily directly tied to technology. “It just has to do with 'do you have the urge to be better than your neighbor?'”
