Does AI actually save us time. Or just change how we waste it?
Some time ago, a friend of mine - a business consultant - brought up something during a live conversation that really stuck with me:
“If AI gives us back time, but we don’t use that time more wisely - what have we actually gained?”
At first, it sounded like a clever observation. But the more I’ve worked with AI tools across different teams, the more I’ve seen it play out in reality.
Yes, AI speeds things up. Yes, it automates tasks. But what happens with the time it frees?
Often, it disappears into distractions - social media, online shopping, context switching. And sometimes, the “saved time” is misleading because reviewing and editing the AI output can take just as long.
– Generative AI boosts productivity in specific tasks and groups (especially less experienced employees), but for others, it actually adds to the workload. Over 70% of people say they now have more to do, and nearly half aren’t sure how to use AI effectively.
– On a macro level -across organizations or countries - the benefits are still vague and hard to measure.
I often hear from CEOs that the answer lies in having a clear plan: what you’ll do with the time you save, how to use AI’s output, and what processes support it.
Sounds good in theory. But in practice? With all the notifications, content streams, and the constant pressure to look busy it’s incredibly hard.
What do you think: are we actually gaining time with AI, or just losing it in new ways? 👇
Replies
It all comes down to priorities. If someone is a "slacker," it doesn't really matter how much time they manage to save, because chances are, they’ll just waste that time in unproductive ways. Of course, what seems unproductive to others might not feel that way to them.
I see this in myself, too. Let’s say I wake up at 7 a.m. and need to be somewhere by 8 a.m., I end up late. But the truth is, even if I woke up at 4 a.m., I’d probably fill the extra time with random tasks and distractions. In the end, I’d still be late. So this is something similar. 😀
@busmark_w_nika Exactly. If we don't know how to use that, it will just get filled with activities that don't have any real value.
Phygital+
I feel like it is definitely a time saver if you know how to set right priorities on what to focus. In terms of work with AI I was able to find more time for my analytical tasks and I could focus on the data itself instead of writing SQLs, it helped me find the right resources for my career growth in terms of communication design.
Although I see the point that sometimes AI is disrupting the workflows and timelines, for example when you try dozens of prompts in order to make AI do actually what you need. In that case I found that switching to different AI models defintely helps to find the best solution quicker.
I am all in for AI when it strengthens my abilities and fuels my curioisites and passions, and in that sense it is only about gaining. But I also understand that AI is not a magical pill and it is rather a tool to be included in the existing working flows on certain stages
@dariawind Super post. Very on topic
Have you ever calculated how much time it saves you on a weekly basis?
Phygital+
@byalexai I can definitely say with analytics that it saves up to 6h. I have measured the task that used to take me around 8h with heavy SQLs and debugging, now takes me no longer than 2h.
In general I would estimate that it is at least 8h per week, but varies on the task load. For example, I also use AI for quick research and it helps me with my materials in finding the right references, and it takes me around 15 minutes with the fact checking, when before it was at least a couple hours
@dariawind Yes. For research is great!
I've never been a procrastinator and use ChatGPT every day for work.
What I noticed is not an increase in wasted time but actually, in workload. Before AI, clients had specific expectations about how much time you needed to complete a task.
Right now, they know you can use AI, so they expect more things done at a faster pace. And although AI speeds things up most of the time, in some cases you need to spend hours reviewing what it does and make sure all the information is correct.
I'm definitely getting more work done, but maybe it's too much lol
So, sometimes I wonder, Is AI truly helping us or does it just increase the chances of us getting burnout?
@pamela_arienti yes. Nowadays it takes 1/10 of the time before. Weird times.
In my work, I frequently use AI tools. My experience has shown that when AI is used as a supplementary tool, it can indeed save a lot of time, especially for tasks that require little technical expertise and are highly repetitive. For example, tasks like text proofreading, error checking, code generation, content comparison, condensing long texts, generating long texts from outlines, and text editing.
However, if the time saved is not effectively utilized, it can end up being wasted. This is not the fault of AI, but rather the user's own issue. Additionally, if you rely too heavily on AI-generated content, it may result in a decline in innovative thinking and original capabilities.
AI has inspired me to realize that many work processes can be streamlined using efficiency tools to save time. For example, on Mac, using iBoysoft MagicMenu can quickly help you create new files, move or cut documents, access files (including software and URLs), find duplicate files, use AirDrop, convert images, uninstall applications, copy file paths, compress files, analyze disk space, and more— all with a simple right-click.
The time saved can be used to improve work quality, optimize work direction, or explore more client resources, etc.
@harold_gary I agree. It’s a bit like the problem social networks: you can learn a lot from them, but most of the time you just waste time there.
But yes, that’s not a problem of the technology itself, but rather of its users.
AI helps save time by taking over repetitive work. But sometimes it just changes how we end up spending that time.
@meghan_henry how do you spend your time?
How we spend our time is up to us, right? So if you waste your time or use it productively, that doesn't really have anything to do with AI. Up to us to find that focus and use extra time well.
@frederikb Yes, but in this case, doesn't it mean we gain nothing from AI?
Oh, nice question! My take on this matter is that in theory, AI should save us time, and in isolated workflows, it often does. I’ve seen junior writers crank out drafts twice as fast, marketers automate reporting that used to take a full day, and devs cut hours off debugging with better code suggestions.
But zoom out, and the picture gets murkier because saved time doesn’t automatically become well-used time. There’s this false promise of “freeing up strategic time.” It sounds nice, but no one tells you how mentally fried people are after wrangling imperfect AI output for hours. The editing, the validation, the context correction, all of that is real work.
So do we actually gain time using AI? Sometimes. But unless you’re actively redesigning your workflow and incentives around that time gain, it evaporates. Faster tools don’t beat slow systems and AI doesn’t make us wiser by default. It just gives us more chances to waste time at scale.
@a11yexpert Absolutely! On one hand, I help a lot but at the same time, I can't really say that we've gained time. Somehow, that time is either spent learning how to use AI or it gets redirected to activities that are actually just time-wasters.
It is clearly unrealistic for AI to generate all content at once.
For better control, I generally distribute the generation, outlining to specific chapters. To not waste time, make sure you know what the AI is doing each time!
In my opinion, AI definitely accelerates routine tasks like writing, data crunching and code generation, but saving time isn’t the same as using it well. Unless you’re super intentional about how you spend the extra capacity, it can easily disappear into distractions, endless editing, or more busywork. I see the real difference when I actually plan how to use that saved time, otherwise agreed, it just changes the ways I waste it
AI could be a game changer or just another tool for procrastination. It really depends on how you direct your focus and priorities once the routine is out of the way.
@sanskarix Absolutely. Only good planning is the solution.
AI does save time on most of the research and content related tasks. But if you are not well versed in the topic it might still take time to make sure AI is delivering the right content. And freed up time does help in getting more tasks done.
@satish_rajendran how do you spend your time Satish?
The first couple of days, I’ll admit, I was just wasting time—playing around with AI, asking silly or random questions out of curiosity. It was more about entertainment than anything else. But over time, that changed a lot. Now, I use it primarily for work—writing, research, organizing tasks—and every now and then I ask for advice on things like minor health concerns or even quick recipes. That said, when it comes to serious health issues—especially the kind where you really want trustworthy, professional advice—I don’t rely on AI alone. That’s when I reach out to Canada Pharmacy Partner. They’ve consistently been my go-to for dependable support, clear guidance, and real peace of mind.
@alex_ivanovski Nice. Can you share how much time you've saved on a weekly basis?