Short Takes #23: The Fish Is In The Water
The article highlights a Harvard Business Review study of a 200‑person tech firm that found generative AI tools did not reduce workload but intensified it. Employees voluntarily adopted AI, working faster, taking on broader tasks, and extending their workday, leading to higher expectations for speed. The resulting workload creep caused cognitive fatigue, burnout, and lower quality output despite initial productivity gains. The piece also frames this trend within a broader critique of modern work’s cultural and ideological foundations, arguing that tools both shape and are shaped by these systems.
Short Takes #17: Time's Unfolding
In Short Takes #17, the host reflects on a personal "functional freeze" triggered by a severe snowstorm and broader societal stressors, linking it to anxiety, seasonal affective disorder, and trauma. The episode highlights two policy issues: the need for a...
Short Takes #16: The Walking Wounded
Short Takes #16 explores the growing sense of societal unease, highlighting stark data on declining belief in the American Dream and a labor market that’s losing momentum. It examines gender gaps in AI adoption, noting women are 13% less likely...