Researchers at the consulting firm BetterUp Labs, in collaboration with the Stanford Social Media Lab, have created a new term for low-quality, AI-generated work. They call it “workslop.”
As defined in an article published in the Harvard Business Review, workslop is AI-generated content that pretends to be good work but lacks the substance needed to meaningfully advance a task. The researchers from BetterUp Labs suggest that workslop could explain why 95 percent of organizations that have tried artificial intelligence report seeing no return on their investment.
They describe workslop as often being unhelpful, incomplete, or missing crucial context. This type of content ultimately creates more work for others. The insidious effect is that it shifts the burden of work downstream, requiring the receiver to interpret, correct, or redo the work entirely.
The researchers are conducting an ongoing survey of 1,150 full-time employees based in the United States. In their findings, 40 percent of respondents reported receiving workslop within the past month.
To avoid this problem, the researchers advise that workplace leaders must model thoughtful AI use that has purpose and intention. They also recommend setting clear guardrails for teams around norms and acceptable use of the technology.