AI Could Leave Us Busier Than Ever, Oxford Professor Warns

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-30

When we think about artificial intelligence, the promise has always been the same: hand off the tedious stuff to the machines, and we'll finally have time to breathe. But Carl Benedikt Frey, an Oxford professor who has spent years studying how technology reshapes work, is throwing cold water on that dream. His warning is simple yet unsettling: AI might not free us up at all. In fact, it could make us busier than ever. That's a tough pill to swallow, especially for anyone who has spent the last year testing ChatGPT or other AI tools hoping to claw back a few hours each week. But Frey's argument isn't just contrarian noise. It's rooted in how work actually evolves when new technology lands in our laps. ### Why AI May Add to Your Plate Frey's core idea is that AI doesn't necessarily remove tasks from your to-do list. Instead, it often shifts the burden onto you. Think about it this way: when a tool makes something cheaper and easier, we tend to demand more of it, not less. That's true for everything from email to data analysis to content creation. Here's what that looks like in practice: - **More output expected:** If AI lets you draft a report in 20 minutes instead of two hours, your boss might ask for five reports instead of one. - **Higher quality bar:** When everyone has access to the same AI tools, the baseline for what counts as "good work" rises. You can't just submit a rough draft anymore; you have to polish it further. - **New responsibilities:** AI doesn't replace your judgment. Someone still needs to review, edit, and make final calls. That oversight role often lands on the same people who were already overloaded. In other words, the efficiency gains don't always translate into free time. They often translate into more work with a higher ceiling. ### The Hidden Cost of Automation Frey's warning echoes a pattern we've seen before. When spreadsheets arrived, accountants didn't suddenly work less. They took on more clients, deeper analysis, and new types of advisory work. When email was introduced, we didn't write fewer letters; we started sending dozens of messages a day. "The problem is that technology doesn't just change how we work," Frey argues. "It changes what we consider work in the first place." Once a task becomes easy, we find new, harder tasks to fill the gap. The goalposts keep moving. That's not to say AI is useless or that we should ignore it. Far from it. But if you're expecting AI to be a magic ticket to a 20-hour workweek, you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. ### What This Means for You So, what do you do with this information? First, don't panic. Forewarned is forearmed. If you know AI is likely to increase expectations, you can set boundaries early. Be clear about what you can realistically deliver, and push back when the scope creeps. Second, use AI strategically, not just for speed. Instead of using it to do the same work faster, use it to do different work. Automate the parts you hate, but protect the parts that give you satisfaction or that require your unique human touch. That's where your value lies. Finally, remember that Frey isn't saying AI will ruin your life. He's saying the outcome isn't predetermined. How AI affects your workload depends on the choices you make and the norms you help establish at your company. ### The Bigger Picture This debate matters beyond individual burnout. If AI genuinely makes us busier, we need to rethink how we measure productivity and success. A culture that rewards constant output will just use AI to squeeze more out of people. A culture that values well-being might use it to give people their evenings back. Frey's message is a reminder that technology is a tool, not a destiny. The question isn't just what AI can do. It's what we choose to do with the time it saves. And right now, the default answer seems to be: fill it with more work. If that's the future we want, we'd better start asking some hard questions before the machines make all the decisions for us.