Productivity is rising in the AI era but so is the risk of burnout. Josh Cardoz sat down with Fortune to discuss new findings from UC Berkeley.
When productivity accelerates, expectations tend to accelerate with them. If leaders aren’t intentional, AI could amplify pressure just as quickly as it amplifies output.
Bristol, UK – 17/02/2026 – Sponge’s Chief Creative and Learning Officer, Josh Cardoz, has been featured in Fortune discussing the growing tension between AI-enabled productivity gains and employee wellbeing.
The article, which explores new research from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that while AI tools are increasing both the volume and variety of work employees can complete, they are also contributing to more work outside of office hours and rising mental exhaustion.
Over eight months, researchers studied a 200-person U.S. tech firm and found that employees using AI tools increased both their output and the scope of tasks they could take on. However, rather than reducing workload, productivity gains often led to more work filling the same amount of time, sometimes replacing natural breaks and moments of recovery.
“When productivity accelerates, expectations tend to accelerate with them,” Cardoz explains. “If leaders aren’t intentional, AI could amplify pressure just as quickly as it amplifies output.”
Researchers from UC Berkeley also suggested that this pattern of continuous productivity could contribute to lower-quality work in the long run.
In the article, Cardoz emphasised that organisations must be intentional in how AI is introduced and embedded.
He noted that when companies encourage AI use - either subtly or outright - they must ensure that quality is not sacrificed in the pursuit of speed. He also stressed that these decisions need to be led from the top-down.
This means executives should clearly define what good looks like when using AI and how this might flex depending on an employee's role. As part of these checks and balances, leaders must involve employees in shaping the strategy and recognise those who are using the tool effectively. In the context of our ever-changing work environment, he underscored the importance of leadership in helping to ease and reduce the uncertainty that comes with the incorporation of new technologies.
“AI strategy cannot be left to chance or cultural drift. It needs clarity, guardrails, and active sponsorship from the top. Most importantly, organisations must remember that there’s a human factor in all of this,” Cardoz told Fortune.
AI strategy cannot be left to chance or cultural drift. It needs clarity, guardrails, and active sponsorship from the top. Most importantly, organisations must remember that there’s a human factor in all of this.
As organisations continue to integrate AI into everyday workflows, the research highlighted in Fortune reinforces a crucial consideration for business leaders in 2026: productivity gains must be balanced with sustainable working practices, clear expectations, and deliberate leadership.
Sponge works closely with organisations navigating the AI era, enabling leaders and teams to adopt emerging technologies in ways that protect both performance and long-term human capability.
Read the full Fortune article: In the workforce, AI is having the opposite effect it was supposed to, UC Berkeley researchers warn.
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