The week's developments on automation & the workplace, explained | 02.08.24

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This week, we unpack the many unexpected ways AI is reshaping our work lives (sadly, it's not all rosy), explore the perilous world of 'workations', and reveal why video game performers are striking over AI concerns. Plus, we take a look at why aviation unions are sounding the alarm over plans to put commercial flights on autopilot.

Also in today's issue:

• AI is actually causing people to work more

• Feeling more drained than refreshed after your vacation?

• Video game performers are striking over AI fears

• AI could still be a job booster in the UK

• Top 3 productivity tools of the week

P.S You are now able to sign up for the super early bird offer (75% off) to the CogX AI Summit in London on October 7th here.

Top Stories

🤖 AI is actually causing people to work more: Increased workloads, burnout, and a lack of AI training are creating a perfect storm of dissatisfaction among workers. With 77% of employees feeling overwhelmed and 71% admitting to burnout, the gap between executive expectations and employee experience is widening.

🏖️ The rise of the ‘workation’: The allure of combining work and vacation into a 'workation' is tempting for many employees. But while it might seem like a win-win, experts warn of potential pitfalls. From legal complexities to employee burnout, HR departments face a delicate balancing act.

🥴 Feeling more drained than refreshed after your vacation? You're not alone. The post-vacation blues can hit hard, leaving you struggling to regain your momentum. The secret to beating the post-vacation slump, experts say, hinges on easing back to work, focusing on enjoyable tasks, and recognising that relaxation and productivity can coexist.

AI Tutorial

How to use Perplexity AI for research:

• Create a free Perplexity account to unlock customisation and sharing features.

• Use the Focus feature to refine your search and get more relevant results.

• Experiment with Perplexity's writing mode to generate creative text formats.

• Organise your searches into collections and threads for easy management.

• Consider upgrading to Perplexity Pro for advanced AI capabilities.

AI & Automation

👨🏻‍💻 Video game performers are striking over AI fears: With concerns over the misuse of their likenesses and voices, the union representing video game performers is striking to demand stronger AI protections.

🤔 AI could still be a job booster: Google claims nearly two-thirds of UK roles can be enhanced by AI, with minimal job losses. The focus now is on training workers to harness AI's power for increased productivity and economic growth.

✈️ Automation plans for planes? Aviation unions warn that plans to automate commercial flights and reduce crews to one pilot are a dangerous gamble. The push for efficiency could compromise safety, they say.

🌎 AI in Latin America: New research shows AI can boost productivity across millions of jobs in the region. However, women and lower-income workers risk being left out due to limited digital access.

Productivity Boosters

Check out this week's top AI tools to supercharge your productivity

	Parallel AI creates custom AI employees trained on company-specific data   Key Features: Creation of AI-powered virtual employees Customised training on company-specific data Integration with existing knowledge bases
	Devv AI is a developer-focused search engine that combines AI interaction, web search, and GitHub integration to provide comprehensive coding assistance.   Key Features: Developer-tailored search engine Integration with advanced AI models (including GPT-4)
	Legaliser is an AI-powered legal assistant that streamlines contract management with intelligent summaries and compliance checks.   Key Features: AI-driven contract summaries Automated compliance assessment Targeted suggestions for contract improvement

In case you missed it

Watch Frankie Russo as he explores how embracing our unique "weirdness" can be our superpower in the AI age.

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