By Heath Parkes-Hupton
Publication Date: 2026-05-30 02:58:00
Australians will have to work even harder as the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) tools raises unrealistic expectations from bosses, despite the limitations of the technology.
A white paper on the “high performance culture” in Australian workplaces found that instead of promised productivity improvements, AI was among the biggest causes of employee burnout.
“I haven’t met anyone who has significantly reduced their workload through something like this,” said Cherie Clonan, founder of marketing agency The Digital Picnic.
“In fact, it just feels like people are more exhausted than ever.”
Ms Clonan, whose agency published digital marketing philosophy The Performance Paradox, said AI was being injected into already “broken” workplace systems and becoming a “force multiplier for burnout”.
Experts claim that companies have already started cutting back on hiring and replacing some entry-level jobs with AI products – and existing employees…
