philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

When Human Fatigue Becomes AI’s Weakest Link

... A 2014 study by Stanford University economist John Pencavel shows that output per hour declines steeply after roughly 50 hours per week, and that the extra hours beyond 55–60 subtracts from output due to the additional time required to fix mistakes. Serious health risks increase as well. One meta-analysis of 37 studies found that working more than 55 hours per week raises the chance of stroke and heart attack by 35 percent and 17 percent respectively, adding to business costs through absenteeism, turnover, and diminished cognitive performance. Creativity and judgment—the very human skills most needed in an AI-infused working environment—also suffer from overwork which often impairs attention, working memory and decision-making. The converse is also true: people who take time away from direct cognitive effort are more likely to generate novel insights than those who do not. ...

The Pragmatic Engineer reported this week on moves by a number of firms to institute what are called “996” schedules (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., six days per week) as a kind of minimum expectation. This practice originated in China and was eventually banned by the government ...

Telling workers they must sacrifice sleep, health, and family to be part of “humanity’s greatest breakthrough” is less leadership than it is psychological coercion parading as a mission. ...

See the full story here: https://www.aei.org/domestic-policy/when-human-fatigue-becomes-ais-weakest-link/