Companies that go all-in on using generative AI tools have a huge “workthrop” problem.
In their efforts to increase productivity, reduce dependence on human labor and reassure investors that they are on the cutting edge of technology, some troubling issues are emerging. as harvard business review They point out that over-reliance on AI can have dire consequences for organizational knowledge, the critical business insights that companies need to make strategic decisions.
This phenomenon, known as knowledge decay, describes the deterioration of information over time as workers forget skills and organizations rely on outdated processes. In the context of AI, what starts with employees using AI to produce low-quality work can become a dangerous downward spiral that wastes co-workers’ time, erodes trust, and gradually turns an organization’s knowledge into a soup of waste and worthlessness.
Multiply this by entire departments, and a company’s output begins to crumble as well. harvard business review I will explain.
It’s already a familiar trend. Even in the early days of the AI boom, experts warned that employees could be spending more time tracking down the many errors caused by unreliable and illusory AI tools than they would if they weren’t using the technology at all. Some companies decide to hire employees specifically to fix AI errors.
“Errors compound and accumulate.” harvard business review is written. “Trust in information is lost. People spend more time checking facts or risk making costly and dangerous mistakes. Eventually, people begin to lose trust in the processes they rely on to get their jobs done.”
None of this is particularly surprising for workers who have been forced to use AI in the workplace against their will while watching the labor market deteriorate in real time. Bosses’ obsession with AI sparked mass rebellions, and disillusioned employees suffered from low morale and even sabotaged the technology in the workplace.
Hiring new workers has also become a quagmire for companies, largely due to AI, making it extremely difficult to hire qualified candidates.
“The overall effect of AI ‘enhancing’ each step is that trust in the process has fallen to an all-time low for both job seekers and recruiters.” harvard business review I will explain.
To stop the “sloppiness” of work and the decline of knowledge, business leaders are now forced to ensure that information is carefully verified and freed from AI illusions and errors, a labor-intensive process that consumes real human employees’ time.
There is clearly a need for change in the future. Employers need to find ways to ensure that AI is only used when it actually makes sense and adds value.
“For many tasks, using a public LLM often adds little or no real value.” harvard business review I wrote. “It creates generic prose that often contains mistakes. But using unique models and leveraging unique data can add value.”
So now that much of the early hype about AI ushering in a productivity revolution and making human labor a thing of the past has been stripped away, companies that adopt AI must pick up the pieces or risk deteriorating into nothingness, with an AI hangover that could haunt them for years to come.
Learn more about leveraging AI: Religious exemptions are now available for using AI in the workplace
