April 28, 2023

Since the pandemic has forced many people to work remotely, many have taken advantage of the new working conditions to supplement their income by taking on a secret second job. The phenomenon known as “overemployment” has seen white-collar workers embrace AI technologies to automate their job processes and increase productivity.

Vice recently spoke with Ben (name altered to preserve his privacy), who works for a financial-technology firm in Toronto. Ben explained that he began utilizing the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT to speed up his job and free up more time. He got a second job earlier this year after utilizing ChatGPT to create his cover letters. He also used the chatbot to send messages to his manager, instructing it to write them in all lowercase to look more natural.

Ben stated that ChatGPT has simplified his job by allowing him to outsource responsibilities and free up more time. He feels that the AI tool has made 80% of his job simpler, and that the release of the current version, GPT-4, has made things even easier.

According to Vice, which spoke with numerous workers who requested anonymity, the tendency of overemployment has spawned a “arms race” to determine how much of the workday can be automated using artificial intelligence techniques. Some employees have even utilized AI to transcribe Zoom sessions so that they may refer to the information afterwards.

The sources for this piece include an article in BusinessInsider.