AI promised to free us; instead it became a digital tasklist parasite

A vibrant, colorful infographic-style article header depicting busy workers surrounded by clocks, calendars, notification symbols, and productivity icons in a chaotic blue and orange color scheme. The illustration conveys frenetic energy and multitasking overload, ironically accompanying an article arguing that AI intensifies rather than reduces work. The visual style is modern and playful despite the grim subject matter. Extracted text: AI Doesn't Reduce Work—It Intensifies It by Aruna Ranganathan and Xingqi Maggie Ye February 9, 2026 Summary. One of the promises of AI is that it can reduce workloads so employees can focus more on higher-value and more engaging tasks. But according to new research, AI tools don't reduce work, they consistently intensify it: In the study, employees worked... more Illustration by Eynon Jones