UNITED STATES — A rise in low-quality AI-generated output, known as “workslop,” has been revealed in a recent Zety report. This also comes with a growing number of workers expressing concerns about eroding morale due to unnecessary increases in workloads.
Zety’s Rise of Workslop Report survey, conducted among 1,000 U.S. employees who have experienced the trend and its impact on their work routines, found that most workplaces pay little attention to this slipping quality standard, perhaps due to pressures from AI adoption.
However, 39% of these employees have argued that the low-quality output is unacceptable in their workplaces, and, while some level of acceptance exists when deadlines are prioritized, they’re left with more problems to fix afterward.
AI Workslop Is Widespread, Leaving Employees Stressed
AI has always been viewed as an efficiency tool. It’s meant to make things easier for employees, so they’re left stressing over fewer work matters. However, this recent report reveals otherwise. It found that for most workplaces, “workslop” is viewed as:
- Completely unacceptable and corrected: 39%
- Somewhat unacceptable and tolerated: 31%
- Somewhat acceptable and overlooked to prioritize deadlines: 21%
- Completely acceptable: 9%
As AI tools become more integrated into their daily workflows, expectations may have been recalibrated to prioritize speed over quality. While this sounds like work has been made less complicated for employees, the normalization of lower-quality AI outputs doesn’t actually relieve them of anything.
When “workslop” reaches their inboxes, 49% of employees say that they manually have to fix the issues rather than rejecting the work. This is an often-overlooked added burden that costs up to 6 hours per week correcting AI-related problems.
Employees are taking the brunt of AI’s slipping quality standards. When left unaddressed, minor lapses only become an added burden to employees, ultimately defeating the purpose of AI.
Today, the AI workslop is adversely affecting employees:
- 70% say it’s causing them stress.
- 67% say it’s reducing their productivity.
- 65% say it’s decreasing their overall morale.
- 53% say it’s increasing the risk of burnout.
For companies, this decline in quality may also result in:
- Lost productivity: 36%
- Spread of false information: 30%
- Damage to organizational reputation: 24%
AI Accelerates Output, But at What Cost?
Overall, this survey underscores an important trend: most workplaces are using AI as an output accelerator but have yet to consider how overreliance on it may affect quality. Without clearer accountability, risks become inevitable, leaving employees to face the consequences.
This rising trend of AI workslop should serve as a signal for companies. It highlights the need for better AI engineering that not only prioritizes speed and efficiency but also quality.
