ONE of the UK’s leading AI experts and authors has warned that “too many UK businesses are treating AI like a medieval treadmill, something to make hauling heavy stone up the cathedral faster, not reduce the overall burden on their staff”.
Another urged companies to “design AI with strategy, ethics and responsibility at the very core so efficiency empowers people rather than exploit them”.
Meanwhile, an HR warned that the relentless pressure from some employers to maximize value from AI “could result in burnout, at scale”.
The warnings follow new research from Quantum Workplace tracking over 700,000 workers revealing that 45% of frequent AI users report high burnout compared to 35% of non-users. Translate: the very tools being marketed as productivity saviours are making things worse for the average employee, not better.
The experts say the problem is that most organisations treat AI as a capacity multiplier rather than a workload reducer. In short, if someone completes tasks 30% faster with AI, management doesn’t let you leave 30% earlier — they give you 30% more work.
Colette Mason, Founder & AI Systems Architect at Clever Clogs AI, said businesses should be using artificial intelligence to reduce the daily grind and enable employees to deliver better and fresher thinking: “The brutal truth around AI and real-world business? Too many UK businesses are treating AI like a medieval treadmill, something to make hauling heavy stone up the cathedral faster, not reduce the overall burden on their staff.”
She added: “When companies deploy these tools without redesigning workflows, they add cognitive overhead — forcing their employees to learn new systems, check AI outputs and fix errors — while maintaining the same relentless pace. It’s automation theatre: the appearance of efficiency masking deeper dysfunction.”
Mason continued: “Real AI support must lead to less hourly grind, freeing up fresher minds for strategic thinking and innovation, not faster draconian hamster wheels.”
Mitali Deypurkaystha, CEO at Newcastle upon Tyne-based Impact Icon AI, said artificial intelligence isn’t the problem per se, but rather management teams wanting to wring maximum value out of its adoption at their staff’s expense: “This is what happens when fools rush in. AI isn’t the villain, short-sighted adoption from FOMO-driven business leaders is.
“A recent report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that 95% of generative AI pilots stall, failing to deliver meaningful ROI. Is it any wonder these leaders heap more work on employees in a scramble to justify investment?”
Deypurkaystha continued: “The problem is that employees are paying the price for leaders’ missteps. History echoes how technological advancements are touted as ‘good for all’ but then benefit the elite few: the Industrial Revolution boosted factory-owners while workers endured exhaustion; the internet promised inclusion yet in some cases widened divides. Now AI risks repeating the cycle — burnout for the many, profit for the few.
“We must do better: design AI with strategy, ethics and responsibility at the very core so efficiency empowers people, not exploits them.”
It’s a view shared by Kate Underwood, Managing Director at Southampton-based Kate Underwood HR and Training: “AI was supposed to streamline systems but the worry is that it will create more employee stress. Improved productivity is the theory, but the reality risks being increased employee pressure as businesses seek to wring every last piece of benefit out of it.
“If AI enables you to complete your work 20% quicker thanks to AI, that shouldn’t mean your boss piles on an additional 20% of workload.
“Artificial intelligence should be the great enabler, streamlining core processes and enabling staff to think more freely. Instead, the relentless pressure from some employers to maximize value from it could result in burnout, at scale.”
Photo by Cash Macanaya on Unsplash
