When AI Hurts Productivity: The Rise of “Workslop”
Artificial intelligence was meant to make work faster and smarter. Yet new research suggests that, in many cases, it’s doing the opposite, creating a flood of low-quality output now being called workslop.
What is “Workslop”?
Coined by researchers from BetterUp Labs and Stanford’s Social Media Lab, workslop refers to the wave of AI-generated reports, slides, and documents produced with little human oversight. Instead of saving time, these half-baked results often create more work for others who must review, correct, or rewrite them.
The Hidden Cost
A Harvard Business Review study found that:
40% of employees said they had received “workslop” in the past month.
15% of all work received by respondents qualified as low quality AI output.
The emotional impact is real - over half of employees reported feeling annoyed when receiving AI-generated slop, while others felt confused or offended.
For a company of 10,000 employees, the estimated cost is around US $9 million in lost productivity each year.
That’s a huge amount for any organisation investing heavily in generative AI tools.
So, why does Workslop happen?
Although AI tools promise speed, they lack judgement. And when employees rely too heavily on them:
Quality drops, as prompts are rushed and unchecked.
Managers waste time reviewing and re-explaining expectations.
Teams lose trust in digital collaboration when AI outputs become unreliable.
How Businesses Can Avoid Workslop?
Train for quality, not just usage Equip staff to use AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement for thinking.
Create internal review systems Ensure any AI assisted work is verified before distribution.
Measure ROI, not hype Track where AI genuinely saves time versus where it creates rework.
Encourage human oversight Use AI to draft, but let people edit, personalise, and validate.
To Conclude,
AI can be a powerful productivity booster but only when it’s used intentionally. Without structure, it risks becoming an expensive time sink. Businesses that balance automation with human expertise will be the ones truly benefiting from the AI revolution.
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Source: Harvard Business Review, AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity