AI 'WORKSLOP' IS A REALITY

Research shows employees who use Al at work without evaluating it create extra work for others and incur losses to the company

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Have you ever used artificial intelligence (AI) in your job without double-checking the quality or accuracy of its output? If so, you wouldn't be the only one. Global research shows a staggering two-thirds (66 per cent) of employees who use Al at work have relied on Al output without evaluating it.

This can create a lot of extra work for others in identifying and correcting errors, not to mention reputational hits. Just this week, consulting firm Deloitte Australia formally apologised after a report worth $290,000 prepared for the federal government had been found to contain multiple AI-generated errors.

Against this backdrop, the term "workslop" has entered the conversation. Popularised in a recent Harvard Business Review article, it refers to Al-generated content that looks good but "lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task".

Beyond wasting time, workslop also corrodes collaboration and trust. But AI use doesn't have to be this way. When applied to the right tasks, with appropriate human collaboration and oversight, AI can enhance performance. We all have a role to play in getting this right.

The rise of Al-generated 'workslop'