Working with and without AI: I'm bored!

It delivers higher-quality results with less effort—and that's precisely what employees value about generative AI. However, new research shows that those who have worked with artificial intelligence and then have to go without it become bored more quickly and lose motivation.

In studies involving 3,562 British volunteers, researchers from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, investigated human-AI collaboration on various tasks: writing performance evaluations, drafting social media marketing posts, and writing a welcome email to a new employee. Participants were divided into two groups: one completed one task using ChatGPT and then worked on another task without AI. The second group completed both tasks without AI assistance. After each task, participants completed a questionnaire measuring their intrinsic motivation, sense of control, and boredom levels.

The study showed that those who used ChatGPT for the first task performed better than those who worked alone. Performance evaluations generated with the help of AI were significantly longer, more analytical, and more helpful than those written without AI. However, when the AI ​​users tackled the second task—this time without assistance—their intrinsic motivation decreased by an average of 11 percent. At the same time, their feelings of boredom increased by 20 percent. In comparison, the participants in the second group, who completed both tasks without generative AI, remained comparably motivated and interested.

The study authors suspect that the first group was more bored and less motivated because working with ChatGPT reduced effort while still producing good results. Working without AI may have felt not only more tedious but also less inspiring, which may have dampened the participants' motivation and engagement.

This raises the question: How can companies leverage the benefits of AI without sacrificing employee motivation? The researchers suggest making it clear to their employees that, even without AI, they bring unique skills and perspectives to their work, and that their knowledge is essential to completing tasks successfully. "Clear communication about how AI can support them—but not replace them—helps employees maintain a sense of ownership and satisfaction," they write. © HBP 2025

Source: Suqing Wu et al.: “Human-Generative AI Collaboration Enhances Task Performance but Undermines Human's Intrinsic Motivation,” Scientific Reports, April 2025