Essay
Artificial intelligence in the workplace: productivity gains versus human costs
Read the two texts below. Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answer. Write your answer in 240-280 words.
Businesses that treat AI as a shortcut for cutting staff misunderstand its real value. The greatest productivity gains come when systems automate repetitive tasks and employees are trained to use the freed-up time for higher-level work: analysis, client relationships and innovation. Early adopters report fewer errors and faster turnaround, but only where management invests in redesigning workflows rather than simply adding software on top of old processes. If governments support large-scale reskilling, AI could widen opportunity by making specialised tools available to smaller firms and workers outside major cities.
AI adoption is not neutral: it shifts power. In many sectors, monitoring tools quantify performance minute by minute, intensifying work and reducing autonomy. Even when jobs are not eliminated, tasks can be fragmented so that workers become operators following algorithmic prompts, with fewer chances to develop expertise. The benefits of higher productivity often flow to shareholders, while wages stagnate and insecurity rises through short-term contracting. Without stronger regulation on transparency, data use and accountability for automated decisions, AI may deepen inequality and erode trust in employers.
Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answer. You should write 240–280 words.