‘The Great AI Lie’: Greater efficiency does not always equate to improved mental health

By Chad Crouse

For many of us, our entire existence has been marked by rapid technological advancement. With each innovation, there’s always been a promise attached: Life will be easier, faster and more efficient. Consider the introduction of the internet, email and cell phones – each touted as the newest way to simplify our lives and give us more freedom.

Yet today, the average worker is bombarded with emails, texts and notifications at all hours. The tools have blurred the lines between our personal and professional lives. Despite their efficiencies, many of us feel busier, more stressed and increasingly disconnected from the things that truly matter.

Enter artificial intelligence (AI). Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, has said: “AI is one of the most important things humanity is working on. It’s more profound than electricity or fire … AI can improve people’s lives in many ways, including saving time and increasing productivity.” Similarly, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella suggests, “AI will help democratize technology and allow people to spend more time on the work that really matters.”

AI is being hailed as the next great leap forward. If this sounds familiar, you’re right. The question becomes: Will AI deliver on its promises, or is it destined to follow the same path as previous technologies, where efficiency gains simply translate into more work?

A revealing experience with fire chiefs

The answer to this question was abundantly clear during a recent class I taught for a group of new executive fire officers at the National Fire Academy. In one of our initial discussions, I asked the chiefs what they hoped to gain from the course. As expected, they mentioned common industry concerns such as recruitment, retention and the cost of apparatus. But when one of the chiefs brought up mental health, it sparked a powerful shift in the conversation. Suddenly, the room was abuzz with talk about the need for better schedules and time off for firefighters to recuperate, as well as training on resiliency and managing stress.

The chief then clarified his point: “I was talking about us.” The conversation shifted to the wellbeing of fire chiefs themselves. Many in the room acknowledged that they had missed important family events, delayed vacations or abandoned personal hobbies due to the demands of their roles. As a class, we recognized the importance of this issue, and we made sure to write “Health of the Fire Chief” in a different color on our list of goals to signify its significance.

As the week progressed, AI emerged as a key theme. Some chiefs were familiar with it, while others were just discovering its potential. By the end of the week, it was clear that AI could have a profound impact on their agencies. That’s when I posed a simple question: “If AI could give you 10 extra hours per week, what would you do with that time?” Considering the emphasis we had placed on the wellbeing of fire chiefs, I expected at least some of the responses to focus on spending time with family, resting or pursuing hobbies.

Instead, nearly every response focused on more work – catching up on administrative tasks, improving operational efficiency or taking on new projects. Despite being acutely aware of the toll their jobs were taking, their instinctual response was to leverage AI’s time-saving potential for even more productivity.

This moment underscored a larger issue – the mindset that any gain in efficiency must be reinvested into work. These fire chiefs are not alone. Even when presented with the possibility of relief, many of us instinctively fill that time with more tasks. It’s a cultural expectation that more productivity equals more success. But shouldn’t we be asking ourselves, what does success truly look like?

Dr. Kenneth Kamler, who has served as a medical doctor on six Everest expeditions, including the tragic 1996 climb that claimed the lives of eight climbers, offers a powerful metaphor for this question. If you ask most people to identify the goal of climbing Mount Everest, they will likely respond, “to reach the top.” However, according to Dr. Kamler and other seasoned climbers, the real goal is not just reaching the summit, it’s making it back down safely.

So, what does this have to do with our definition of success? Just like climbing Everest, the goal of our careers shouldn’t only be about reaching professional summits or ticking off achievements. True success should be about returning “down the mountain” with our health, relationships and wellbeing intact. In other words, it’s about achieving balance, maintaining connections with our families, and retiring with our physical and mental health preserved.

The capitalism conundrum

The root of this problem doesn’t lie in the technology itself, but rather in how it’s deployed. In the current model of capitalism, efficiency gains are rarely returned to workers in the form of time or wellbeing. Instead, they’re harnessed to drive further productivity, profit and expansion. Those who don’t keep pace with technological advancements – whether through AI or other tools – often find themselves at a disadvantage. This creates pressure to constantly do more, which ultimately negates the supposed benefits of these innovations.

This isn’t an indictment of capitalism, but a reminder that without a shift in how we think about work, AI is likely to become just another tool that drives us deeper into the grind. AI, like its technological predecessors, has the potential to improve our lives in profound ways. But unless we rethink our relationship with work, it will merely continue the cycle of more efficiency leading to more work.

The choice is ours

AI alone cannot deliver the work-life balance many of us crave. That balance comes from the choices we make about how we use these tools. If we treat AI as just another mechanism to squeeze more productivity out of every hour, we’ll continue down the same path – more efficient perhaps, but no less overwhelmed.

But if we choose to use AI intentionally, we can begin to reclaim our time. AI’s promise shouldn’t be about doing more, but about freeing us from the relentless demands of work so we can focus on our health, our families and the things that make life meaningful.

A call for balance

It’s time to rethink how we use technology, AI in particular. Instead of viewing it as just another tool to increase productivity, we need to see it as a way to achieve balance. AI can automate tedious tasks, streamline decision-making and offer insights that save time. But those gains are meaningless if we don’t choose to use that time for ourselves.

Take a moment to reflect: What would you do with 10 extra hours a week? If your answer is more work, ask yourself why. Why do we continue to fill the gaps with more tasks instead of taking the time to rest, recover and reconnect?

Technology should serve us, not enslave us. AI, with all its power, has the potential to help us find balance, but only if we use it wisely. Let’s break the cycle, reclaim our time, and ensure that AI doesn’t become yet another chapter in the long history of unmet technological promises.

A final note on walking the talk

I’ll admit it. This article didn’t appear out of thin air. I used AI to help draft it, saving me several hours. But here’s the important part: I’m not going to use that saved time to take on more work. Instead, I’m going to spend it with my family, and I encourage you to do the same.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chad Crouse serves as division chief at the Saint Lucie County Fire District in Florida. He leads the Community Risk Reduction, IT, Communications, and Emergency Management divisions, emphasizing innovative technology solutions that enhance fire safety and emergency response capabilities. Crouse is a seasoned educator and active member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Technology Council.