A new study dives into the consequences of collaborating with AI on creative endeavors, and what it means for output and satisfaction at work.

Did you use AI at your job today? Maybe it helped you work faster. But too much AI may reduce both the quality of your work and your satisfaction with the job, according to a study published Nov. 10 in the PNAS Nexus science journal. 

The team behind the study knew from prior research that generative AI was a mixed bag, capable of dramatically boosting productivity, but also prone to throttling creative diversity and worker satisfaction.

“The question we wanted to answer was whether these trade-offs are inevitable,” Kartik Hosanagar, a University of Pennsylvania professor of technology, digital business and marketing, and one of the study’s authors, told CNET via email. “Our research suggests they aren’t.”

AI is changing work quickly, with dizzying contradictions. Tech companies like Microsoft and Meta are spending millions on integrating AI into their business for greater efficiencies and output, while getting rid of human workers through mass buyouts and layoffs. Workers who use AI report some advantages, like saving 40 to 60 minutes a day at work, while suffering consequences like loss of confidence, loss of skills and a tougher labor market. 

Teachers have also sounded the alarm, saying AI is essentially ending homework. Researchers say that if we don’t pay attention to how we collaborate with AI, we could start losing critical thinking along the way. 

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