Anurag Garg, the founder of a PR agency, Everest PR, recently shared his experience with using AI tools in the workplace, highlighting the challenges and stress it brought to his team. Garg initially introduced ChatGPT, an AI language tool, to streamline his team’s workflow and keep up with competitors. However, instead of increasing productivity, the tool created more work and tension for the employees.
Tasks took longer as employees had to create briefs and prompts for ChatGPT, and double-check its output for inaccuracies. Additionally, with the constant updates to the platform, the team had to spend extra time learning new features. Garg himself felt overwhelmed by the growing number of AI tools in the market, leading to burnout.
Recognizing the negative impact of using too many AI tools, Garg decided to backtrack on the mandate and now primarily uses AI for research purposes. This shift has resulted in a more manageable workload and happier employees.
Garg’s experience is reflected in recent research, which shows that many employees feel AI tools have decreased productivity and added to their workload. The use of multiple apps in the workplace has also been linked to missed messages and reduced efficiency.
While some experts like Leah Steele acknowledge the pressure to do more with less, Alicia Navarro, the founder of Flown, believes that AI can be a valuable asset for smaller firms with limited resources. Despite the challenges, the key lies in using AI tools correctly and effectively to enhance productivity and empower teams.
As the debate around the impact of AI tools on workplace productivity continues, it is essential for businesses to carefully assess the benefits and drawbacks of incorporating such technology into their workflows.
