Will AI Free Us From Mundane Work — Or Just Watch Us Work Harder?
For decades, technology has promised to liberate humans from routine, repetitive tasks. From the industrial revolution to the digital age, each wave of innovation has raised the same hopeful question: Will machines finally free us to focus on creativity, strategy, and meaningful work? Today, artificial intelligence (AI) has brought that question back into the spotlight. AI tools are rapidly entering workplaces across industries, automating tasks that once required hours of human effort. But alongside this excitement comes a quieter concern: Is AI really freeing workers—or simply enabling organizations to monitor productivity more closely and push people to work harder? Understanding this tension requires looking at research findings, expert opinions, and real workplace experiences. The Promise: AI as a Liberator of Human Potential One of the strongest arguments in favour of AI is that it can remove the mundane layers of work that often drain time and energy . Administrative tasks...