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MIT researcher gives advice on how to tame, harness AI ‘workslop’
Fortune· 2025-11-12 12:47
Core Insights - The concept of "workslop" refers to AI-generated content that appears credible but lacks substance, affecting productivity and costing companies significantly [1][2][3] - Organizations are expected to develop metrics to detect workslop, which will become a governance challenge as AI tools are increasingly integrated into workflows [2][3] Group 1: Workslop and Its Implications - Approximately 40% of U.S. desk workers encounter workslop monthly, costing an estimated $186 per employee and $9 million annually for a company with 10,000 employees [1] - Senior management will likely demand metrics to measure workslop, similar to quality metrics, leading to the use of AI to identify slop patterns [2][3] Group 2: Transparency and Accountability - There is a growing expectation for individuals to disclose their prompts when using AI tools, as a measure of transparency and accountability in their work [5][6] - The notion of "showing your work" will evolve to include sharing prompts, which may become a standard practice in organizations [5][6] Group 3: Compliance and Competitive Analysis - Companies concerned about data privacy can conduct competitive analysis using publicly available data instead of internal projections, which may yield valuable insights [7] - The history of prompts used by employees may soon be as important as performance reviews, indicating their ability to think critically [7] Group 4: AI Adoption and Productivity - The EY 2025 Work Reimagined Survey indicates a disconnect between AI adoption and employee readiness, with 88% of employees using AI primarily for basic tasks [11][12] - Effective integration of talent and technology is crucial for unlocking productivity gains, yet only 28% of organizations are on track to achieve this [12]