AI Boosts Job Performance: A Study

Source:

One Useful Thing
on
September 16, 2023
Curated on

October 11, 2023

A multidisciplinary team of social scientists and consulting professionals partnered to examine the influence of AI on professional work, specifically consulting. They performed the largest pre-registered experiment in this field, featuring the participation of 758 consultants. The study found that consultants who utilized ChatGPT-4, an AI technology, significantly outperformed their peers who did not use it. They completed tasks faster, managed more tasks, and obtained higher quality results. The technology especially benefitted the least effective consultants, almost leveling their performance to that of top consultants. However, the study also found that the benefits of AI aren’t uniform across all tasks. They termed this phenomenon the 'Jagged Frontier' - wherein AI can execute certain tasks effectively, while falling short on some. They tested this by asking consultants to solve a problem that the AI couldn’t correctly solve - results showed consultants performed worse when using AI than those consultants not using it. This highlighted a risk associated with AI usage: relying heavily on AI at the cost of human judgment, referred to as 'falling asleep at the wheel'. Consultants who collaborated effectively with AI, using it to enhance their skills rather than replace them (labelled 'Centaurs and Cyborgs') were able to optimize their performance. AI has surfaced as a formidable disrupter of work, reshaping the conventional dynamics of professional performance. The paper suggests that as the 'Jagged Frontier' expands, it is important to consciously choose how we want to use AI to enhance productivity, intrigue and meaning in work. While there are numerous benefits in using AI, it is essential not to overlook its pitfalls such as causing homogeneity in the output and the tendency it creates for users to fall into autopilot. With caution and creativity, Cyborgs and Centaurs - human and AI collaborations can produce superior results in the field of work.

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