New Survey Finds AI Is Adding to Workloads for Over Half of Employees
A recent global study is casting doubt on the common claim that artificial intelligence automatically makes people more productive and reduces their daily tasks. Korn Ferry’s Workforce 2026 report, based on responses from 16,000 workers across 11 countries, shows that 52 percent of employees say AI has actually increased the amount of work they have to handle.
Senior leaders see the technology differently. Nearly four out of five CEOs (79 percent) believe AI has improved efficiency, especially by turning scattered company data into useful insights. In contrast, only about half of the rank-and-file employees surveyed share that view. At the same time, 61 percent of workers report they are now covering duties that once belonged to more than one job. Adding responsibility for AI tools on top of their regular work often leaves them feeling as if they are doing two roles at once.
What’s Driving the Extra Work
Several common practices appear to be behind the heavier load:
- Companies flatten management layers without giving remaining managers enough support, so those leaders end up carrying extra responsibilities while also overseeing AI systems.
- Employees who keep their jobs after layoffs use AI to produce more, yet many receive no raise or promotion even though their responsibilities have grown.
- Cost-cutting remains the main response, which places greater pressure on the people who stay.
U.S. workers in particular reported:
- 53 percent agreed that AI tools have raised the number of tasks expected of them.
- 61 percent said AI made them more efficient, but that efficiency did not reduce overall workload or improve well-being.
- 62 percent feel they are performing more than one role.
- 43 percent of managers said they are too busy to achieve meaningful results, and half described themselves as exhausted by constant change.
Examples of Better Approaches
Not every company is seeing the same problems. IKEA chose to retrain 8,500 call-center staff as interior designers after its AI chatbot began handling nearly half of customer questions, turning the change into a new revenue stream. Walmart’s chief executive has publicly focused on reshaping jobs and training its large workforce rather than relying mainly on job cuts.
The report’s broader message is clear: AI can improve results, but only when organizations invest in people at the same time through training, redesigned roles, and fair pay instead of simply adding the technology to existing systems and reducing headcount.
Source: Rachel Wells, Forbes, September 9, 2026. AI Increased Workloads For 52% Of Workers. So Much For ‘Productivity’
