Artificial intelligence everywhere! That is the key to increasing productivity, having fewer operational burdens and ensuring that workdays have efficient and less stressful distributionor well, that is what the mass adoption of this technology promised.
To no one’s surprise, ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini are already one of the most used tools worldwide in the workplace. In fact, there are virtual assistants so advanced that they are generating unemployment in the programming sector.
These chatbots and platforms for special activities containing AI models are supposed to be made to make things simpler, faster and more convenient for humans.
It is true, it speeds up tasks considerably, but It is also overflowing traditional schedules. According to a recent study carried out by experts, more work is being done on weekends than in previous years. No more breaks? This is what the statistics indicate.
The new work rhythm due to «the fault of AI»: goodbye weekends to rest
While big companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and Anthropic talk about the great benefits of artificial intelligence, the downside of its massive implementation in offices and daily life of people is revealed by true statistics.
The recent study of Productivity Lab (ActivTrak) called “State of the Workplace 2026” shows a scenario that collapses the initial expectations of these tools, especially when talking about reducing work.
Less time spent, more productivity, or that’s what many said. In itself, it is not a lie, it has been proven in real tasks that artificial intelligence is being very useful to increase work efficiency.
However, there is a gap that goes hand in hand with possible massive unemployment and that is that approximately 2% of the general working day is reduced, but the intensity increases greatly.
The way in which AI models are changing the workplace to a point where the digital productivity of offices requires profound modifications. In short, you are not going to work more hours, but you will work on more things at the same time and at an impressive speed.
The figures determine that around 80% of employees require the use of artificial intelligence, but different approaches have emerged, such as having to monitor automations or review exactly what was done by the virtual assistant.
As a consequence, «productive hours on Saturdays have also increased.» The 46% more time means that it has gone from 3 hours and 10 minutes to 4 hours and 37 minutes per worker.
«This is not a story about a small group of workaholics. This is about a structural change in the way weekend time is used, trending consistently in one direction over three years.»
As for Sundays, they rose 58%, going from 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours and 58 minutes. However, experts mention that it is not because there is an obsession with work, but rather that the industry itself is demanding it.
In fact, added to this is the fact that every year the weekend schedules are getting earlier and earlier. For example, the change has been from 8:35 am to 7:11 am on Saturdays.
So yes, more work is being done than before during the days that were considered rest only and it seems that no one is noticing.
Will this change to a worse statistic in the future? It is not yet known, but perhaps there will be a turning point over the next few years.