Cisco’s HR chief said the ‘worst thing’ companies can do is pile more work on employees after AI saves time

Has using AI meant you’ve ended up with more work on your plate?

At this early stage of adoption, Cisco’s chief people officer, Kelly Jones, told Business Insider that the “worst thing” companies can do when trying to encourage AI adoption is to pile additional work on employees once they’ve freed up time.

“When you get into the space of AI experimentation, one of the most important things to do is not kill innovation when you’re starting it,” Jones said.

Jones is touching on the reality of AI adoption at many companies. Even as firms report productivity gains from AI tools, employees’ days haven’t necessarily gotten any shorter.

One Microsoft manager previously told Business Insider that AI tools cut his coding time — which used to make up the overwhelming majority of his workload —by 70%, yet his overall workload didn’t shrink. Many leaders have also said that AI will free up employees’ time, so they can focus on more “deep work,” rather than…