SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- One of the most common claims about AI is that the technology will somehow give us more of our time back by automating the more repetitive, mundane tasks we perform at work. That idea is apparently a myth, at least according to a new study conducted by Jabra, a professional audio and video services provider.
The study, "Worklife 2026: The New Shape of Work", examines how AI is changing daily work routines.
As the study says, one of AI's biggest promises has always been that it would give us time back by handling more of the dull, administrative stuff, the kinds of jobs "people tolerate rather than enjoy."
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"By taking care of the routine, AI would give people back something increasingly scarce: time," the study states. However, while that idea may be one of AI's biggest appeals, the study's data found that AI was leading to "more work, not less."
"Rather than reducing work, AI is broadening it," the study reads. "The time it creates isn't being banked as space capacity. It's being reinvested into more decisions, more responsibilities, more collaboration and more opportunities to contribute."
Of the more than 6,000 knowledge workers surveyed internationally for the study, 85% reported an increase in at least one type of work, and one in three reported an increase in five or more parts of work. Only 35% said that any part of their work had shrunk at all due to AI use.
Another popular prevailing idea about AI is that the technology will lead to employees spending less time collaborating with their colleagues. Jabra's study actually found that the opposite is true, stating that, "frequent AI use is linked to more interaction with colleagues and a stronger sense of connection within teams."
Among the study's findings:
Another of the report's notable findings is that AI is changing the way we interact with technology at work. Workers, the study stated, "are increasingly moving beyond typed prompts, and instead using voice to think through ideas, solve problems and delegate tasks to AI."
Speaking to AI, rather than typing prompts, apparently has benefits. According to the study, workers who regularly speak to AI are 24% less likely to associate work with stress and 23% less likely to report exhaustion. They are also 37% more likely to say their job feels secure than those who primarily type.
Voice users, the study continued, report greater career optimism and "feel better prepared for the future of work."
“We all talk to our work colleagues. Having conversations with our AI colleagues is a natural extension of the way we already work – when we can simply speak & iterate in the flow of work, AI becomes a practical partner and colleague,” Jabra President Calum MacDougall said. “Companies that make this human to AI conversation seamless and secure will unlock the best returns on their AI investments.”
The survey for "Worklife 2026: The New Shape of Work" was conducted in May among more than 6,000 knowledge workers across France, Germany, India, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Examining nearly 200 variables, "the study explores how AI is changing the way people work, how organizations are responding, and what separates the workers who are thriving from those who feel left behind."
