A recent report from resume-templates service Zety has highlighted a growing concern among professionals: AI-generated work that looks polished but lacks substance—dubbed 'workslop'—is undermining productivity. According to the Workslop Trust Report, almost half (45%) of US professionals say workslop has made them more cautious about using AI in the workplace. The top risks identified include lower trust in AI (57%), reduced productivity (51%), and damage to company reputation (46%).
Rethinking productivity
Business leaders interviewed by ZDNET suggest that combating workslop requires a fundamental shift in how professionals approach productivity. Joel Hron, CTO at Thomson Reuters, emphasizes the need to adopt an 'AI-first' mindset: instead of doing tasks manually and then using AI as an afterthought, professionals should let AI handle the initial heavy lifting and then apply human judgment on top. This pattern, he says, is already emerging in software engineering and will likely spread to other roles within the next year.
Nick Pearson, CIO at Ricoh Europe, reinforces this idea by describing a model his company uses to assess AI tools. The model evaluates whether a tool actually saves time—for instance, generating meeting notes that nobody reads adds no value. Pearson stresses that professionals must focus on tasks where AI delivers genuine efficiency gains, not just ephemeral targets.
Richard Corbridge, CIO at property specialist Segro, adds that organizations need a learning culture where employees understand the risks of workslop. He warns against using AI without oversight, noting that AI is excellent at generating output but cannot inspire or create something truly original. Human judgment remains essential to differentiate where AI adds value and where it falls short.
Being persistent
Even with the right mindset, implementing AI effectively requires persistence. Hron notes that at Thomson Reuters, some employees initially dismissed AI tools because they didn't work perfectly out of the box. However, those who built systems around the tools—grounding them in specific contexts—achieved exponential gains. This persistence, often driven by a single hyper-curious individual, benefits entire teams.
Pearson predicts that employees who master the blend of AI and human expertise will become highly sought after—and demanding. They will expect potential employers to provide advanced AI tools as part of the workplace experience. For companies, this means establishing the right balance between risk and reward when deploying AI agents.
Corbridge concludes that while the backlash against AI is growing, the technology is here to stay. Professionals must focus on understanding how to exploit AI capabilities effectively, rather than abandoning them at the first sign of failure. The two-step approach of rethinking productivity and being persistent offers a practical path to turning AI from a hindrance into a hand.
The Zety report serves as a wake-up call: AI workslop is real, but it can be mitigated through deliberate strategies. By shifting from a 'human-first, AI-second' workflow to an 'AI-first, human-second' model, and by persevering through initial setbacks, organizations can unlock the true potential of generative and agentic AI. The key is to avoid treating AI as a magic bullet and instead view it as a tool that requires careful calibration and human oversight. As the technology evolves, the professionals who adapt quickly will lead the way.
Source: ZDNET News