"My Closest Office Colleague Has Changed"... Now the Only Sound in the Workplace Is the Click of Keyboards [Experiment Note]

74% of Office Workers "Ask AI Instead of Colleagues"
Efficiency Has Increased, But Concerns About Isolation Remain

Editor's NoteEat one now, or wait and get two. Do you remember the marshmallow experiment, where children's choices were put to the test? Sometimes, a simple study changes how we see life. Let's take a fresh look at our daily lives through the lens of experimental data.

"ChatGPT, how do I fix this error?"

In the past, office workers would have turned to a nearby senior or colleague for help, but now, they enter prompts instead. Questions like "ChatGPT, can you polish this sentence?" or "What's wrong with this Excel function?" are addressed to AI instead of people, filling offices with the incessant tapping of keyboards instead of conversation. As generative artificial intelligence (AI) goes beyond being merely an assistant and now takes on the role of a peer, the landscape of the workplace is changing.

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74% of Office Workers Discuss Work with AI

According to a recent analysis by the U.S. self-development platform MyIQ, which surveyed around 22,500 adults across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other countries, 74% of office workers who regularly use AI said that questions they once asked colleagues are now directed to AI.

Of the respondents, 48% reported that spontaneous conversations in the workplace have decreased, while 53% felt that since using AI, their work interactions have become more transactional than before. This suggests that opportunities for forming interpersonal relationships are shrinking, and people are increasingly interacting only to address specific matters.

Additionally, 38% of new employees said that as their repetitive questions are now directed to AI, their opportunities to naturally build relationships with colleagues have diminished.

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Work Has Become More Convenient, but 'Isolation' Is Also a Concern

Since the advent of ChatGPT in 2022, followed by other generative AI services like Gemini and Claude, the working environment for office workers has rapidly evolved. While these tools have increased productivity and reduced repetitive tasks, there are also concerns that their use may exacerbate feelings of isolation in the workplace.

A study published in June in the international journal Frontiers in Public Health found that using generative AI can increase workplace loneliness, which may lead to psychological stress.

According to the researchers, as AI use increases the amount of work handled individually, a "social substitution effect" may occur, in which social connections with colleagues weaken.

However, it is also true that AI cannot fully replace the role of human colleagues. In a study by German researchers, participants were assigned the same task, with one group receiving assistance from human colleagues and the other from ChatGPT. 

The results showed that participants who collaborated with AI felt less organizational support and had lower job satisfaction than those who worked with people. The researchers explained, "AI can help get work done, but it is difficult to replace the trust, sense of belonging, and social support that human colleagues provide."

Not long ago, there was an online buzz about children who, having grown up with wireless earphones, suggested inventing earphones with cords because "they're easy to lose." This anecdote reminds us that while technology advances to make life more convenient, it will never be perfect. No matter how cutting-edge the technology, there will always be small gaps left unfilled.

For now, the ability to use AI effectively is becoming a key competitiveness for office workers. But perhaps in the future, the ability to communicate and collaborate well with people will prove even more important. While AI can take on some of our work, it cannot replace trust, empathy, or relationships. That is why we should not neglect the practice of conversing with colleagues, asking questions, and thinking together.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.