In Asana’s The State of AI at Work report, one in four professionals were concerned about being perceived as lazy for using AI at work. This isn’t surprising, given the widespread misunderstandings about AI’s capabilities.

The thing is, though, we’re living in an era where information technology has already delivered so many efficiency benefits. Against this backdrop, why should the use of AI be treated any differently?

The Asana report findings beg the question that I’ll answer in today’s blog: Which is lazy, using AI chatbots or plodding on without them?

Artificial Intelligence: Known to Many, Understood by Few

To say that Artificial intelligence is a hot topic is downplaying it; it’s everywhere. I even saw a photo of a toothbrush with built-in AI on social media the other day.

Maybe I’m more exposed to AI than others. Certainly, people know I’m passionate about it, and I’m not one to hold back my opinions. So, I guess it’s logical that so many of my conversations discuss AI in general and Chatbots in particular.

It could be when talking with clients and collaborators, friends and family, or even random chats with taxi drivers and other strangers. These conversations with new people are actually some of the most interesting ones.

I’m still amazed at how few people have even tried using chatbots. I often find myself giving little demos of ChatGPT and DALL-E, either in the back of a cab or at a bar in a pub.

I’ll show people how I use chatbots for work and personal life, and the demos draw instant amazement. They always lead to questions, but one thing nobody ever asks is, “Isn’t this a bit of a lazy way of doing things?”

Rather, people are excited about the possibility that AI presents.

Many AI Users Are Worried About Their Perception

However, something weird happens when I talk to people who already use AI in their working lives; many of these people worry about being perceived as lazy.

As I started to dig into this idea, I found that this fear is common among AI users. As stated In August 2023, Asana released The State of AI at Work.

This report found that 26% of those interviewed feel they will be considered lazy if they use AI.

I don’t whether this paranoia, or a legitimate fear. But either way, it suggests that people misunderstand AI and its uses.

I wonder how many people are worried about how they are perceived when using a printer instead of writing a report by hand or a spreadsheet instead of a physical ledger book. Did people using the axe or the wheel worry about the same thing?

The Human Race is Defined By Technological Progress

Technology is at the core of human life; our ability to use and improvise tools for different purposes is one of the things that sets us apart as a species. Even our historical periods are defined by the material sciences we developed at the time: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, etc.

Were people in the Bronze Age lazier than those in the Stone Age?

Adapting to these technological developments is important in all aspects of life and work, but it’s especially important in the tech world. It’s such a dynamic environment, with constant change necessitating regular learning and adaptation. If you don’t evolve to use new tools, you’ll not keep up.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

‘Sharpen the Saw’ is the seventh habit from Stephen R. Covey’s influential book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This habit emphasises the importance of self-renewal, self-care, and continuous improvement to maintain and enhance the greatest asset you have—yourself.

Covey uses the metaphor of a woodcutter who is too busy cutting trees to take time to sharpen his saw, eventually becoming less efficient and productive.

So, let’s think about using AI chatbots from this perspective. After all, you’re implementing an improvement to allow you to get through things more efficiently, leading to higher productivity.

Does this sound like a lazy approach to you? Is the woodcutter being lazy by sharpening his saw?

Conversely, what would you say about a woodcutter who just couldn’t be bothered to sharpen his saw? Someone who just kept plodding on without really caring about how efficient he was.

Lazy People Don’t Use AI Chatbots

Right, so it might sound counterintuitive to suggest that the truly lazy people are those who don’t use AI chatbots. Yet, when you give it a bit of thought, the evidence is there.

Too lazy to learn

As highlighted earlier, many people don’t know what AI can and can’t do, even though they have a mobile phone and access to free AI apps.]

Also, people still fear Terminatoresque wars against AI or worry about robots taking over their jobs. Even a cursory Google search will debunk these ideas, but many people don’t make the effort.

All of this ignorance and fear stem from a lack of understanding caused by laziness. They can’t be bothered to learn about what AI truly offers.

Too comfortable to change

Sticking to what you know is easy and comfortable, even when it’s less efficient than changing.

Using AI chatbots requires a shift in how we approach tasks, pushing us to delegate routines we’ve grown accustomed to handling manually.

Lazy people don’t like changing the way they work. Integrating something as dynamic as AI is too much effort. But in reality, clinging to outdated methods is the less efficient route.

Afraid of breaking the illusion

Manual processes make people look busier, and looking busier makes them look more productive. Lazy people use this con all the time.

Productivity isn’t measured by how occupied we are but by the outcomes we achieve.

AI chatbots free up your time. They allow people to focus on higher-value work, engage in more creative and strategic thinking, and increase productivity.

Shying away from chatbots under the guise of preserving a traditional work ethic is laziness disguised as diligence.

Embrace Chatbots – They’re There to Help!

Chatbots, like every other technology, allow us to work more efficiently. There’s nothing lazy about using them. It’s quite the opposite; not making the time or taking the effort to use chatbots is the lazy approach.

The benefits of integrating AI into your workflows are too significant to ignore. They automate mundane tasks, provide insights that guide better decision-making and allow you to focus on better work.

If you’re not using chatbots yet, give them a try. To start with, just mess around with a few prompts to understand what they can do.

After that, why not ask it to summarise a lengthy document? You’ll be amazed at how much time you save, and this is just the beginning. This is your first small step on the way to transforming the way you work.

AI isn’t a threat to humanity, and chatbots aren’t a sign of laziness. They are tools to help us all work better and are a catalyst for progress.

If you’re looking for inspiration, go to a chatbot, copy this article, paste it, and ask your chatbot to give you a summary.

Sharpen your saw.

P.S. Only 18% feel like a fraud when using AI at work – you can read my thoughts on this in my recent blog about whether using AI is or isn’t cheating.