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The rise of AI has made it easier and cheaper to produce content, but this convenience comes with a cost. 'Workslop,' a term coined to describe content that looks polished but lacks substance, is becoming increasingly common. According to recent findings, 40% of workers have received AI-generated 'workslop' in the past month, with each worker spending nearly two hours on average dealing with it. This 'invisible tax' can add up to millions of dollars annually for large organizations.
The root problem lies in forgetting why we communicate in the first place. We write memos, decks, or updates to change something in the person on the other end, whether it's to inform, train, or inspire them. The recipient is who matters, and the only real measure of successful communication is whether it achieves its intended purpose.
To combat 'workslop,' two internal rules have been established. Firstly, AI can only be used for writing emails, reports, or decks if the output is both shorter and richer than what could have been written without it. Secondly, the format used should serve the message, not just be the fastest to produce. While text is often suitable for quick communication, richer formats like AI video can make a huge difference in landing important messages.
These principles have been applied in practice, such as in an internal employee survey on AI tools. Instead of sending a form, an AI avatar was used to converse with employees, asking them to share specific moments when a tool helped them. This approach provided richer insight than any survey form could have. Similarly, in onboarding, new employees get hands-on experience with the product from day one, providing visibility into how people actually onboard and allowing for shorter ramp-up times.
By prioritizing the recipient and using AI in a mindful way, companies can raise the bar for effective communication and make AI more useful to more people. As the cost of producing communication drops to nearly zero, the only thing separating good communication from noise is whether it was built with the recipient in mind.
Questo articolo è stato scritto con l'assistenza dell'IA.
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