AI Automation Paradox: More Work, Not Less

A workplace health report warns that the introduction of AI could paradoxically increase rather than reduce workplace stress. As AI automates routine tasks, workers will take on new responsibilities: monitoring AI systems, identifying their errors, and managing the resulting complexity—potentially causing psychological distress.

Researchers at Imperial College London and Microsoft argue that the real impact will not be mass job displacement, but a fundamental shift in work demands. Human roles will evolve from executing tasks to controlling AI agents across workflows, including training them, reviewing results, and correcting errors.

“As AI takes over routine tasks, human roles may shift toward responsibility, problem-solving or emotional labor, all with their own psychological demands,” said Dr. Lara Shemtob, who led the study published in the Journal of the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM)…