AI at work

What the publications show

1. Several studies link algorithmic management to health complaints. Among 27,242 workers, the University of Duisburg-Essen sees the likelihood of complaints rise slightly with each additional algorithmic function; a study in logistics finds links with mental health problems, pain and accidents.

   University of Duisburg-Essen, 2026 (opens in a new window) · International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2025 (opens in a new window) · Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health (PEROSH network, with TNO), 2026 (opens in a new window) · Karolinska Institutet, 2025 (opens in a new window)

2. Research in warehouses, logistics and hotels shows that algorithmic management does not take people out of the picture. Middle managers in Amazon’s Polish warehouses quietly adjust the rules, and Educons University finds that AI which helps employees learn goes together with more autonomy.

   Kozminski University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Széchenyi István University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Educons University, 2026 (opens in a new window)

3. Several studies describe employees using AI tools outside what their organisation provides. Halmstad University sees Swedish doctors using them to fill gaps in their own systems; Université de Bordeaux points to risks to data and to dependency.

   Halmstad University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Université de Bordeaux, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Deloitte UK, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Tecnológico de Monterrey, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Centre Urbanisation Culture Société, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Nivel, 2026 (opens in a new window)

4. Experiments with software developers measure speed gains: Princeton University finds 26.08 per cent more completed tasks among 4,867 developers, Lund University 30.7 per cent less time per task. Lund finds no difference in how easily others can modify that code afterwards.

   Princeton University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · Lund University, 2026 (opens in a new window)

5. Uncertainty remains about the size of the gains. Princeton University calls the results variable from one experiment to the next, and METR is adjusting the design of its own study because too few developers are still willing to work without AI.

   Princeton University, 2026 (opens in a new window) · METR, 2026 (opens in a new window)

Topics within AI at work

This list shows what the publications on this theme are about, with the number for each topic. Open a topic to see its publications; if a topic has a briefing, the link is underneath.

• Algorithmic management5 publications

  • Beyond Platform Work: Algorithmic Management in Platform Labor and Traditional Organizations—The Hungarian Experience · Széchenyi István University, 2026
  • Algorithmic Management and Employee Outcomes: Dual Effects of Control and Capability on Autonomy and Career Security · Educons University, 2026
  • The algorithm’s middlemen: resistance, compliance and managerial contradictions in Amazon’s warehouses in Poland · Kozminski University, 2026
  • Why AI adoption stalls on the shopfloor, and how retail leaders can fix it (Talking Shop 2026) · Rotageek and Retail Week, 2026
  • Digitalisation, artificial intelligence and algorithmic management in the workplace: shaping the future of work (2025/2080(INL)) · European Parliament, 2025
  Briefing: Algorithmic management in warehouses, delivery and retail →
• Health risks4 publications

  • The association between core functions of algorithmic management and work-related health problems: indications for effects beyond well-known psychosocial stress · University of Duisburg-Essen, 2026
  • Algorithmic management is associated with psychological distress, musculoskeletal pain, and occupational accidents: a cross-sectional study in logistics · International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2025
  • Algorithmic management and psychosocial risks at work: An emerging occupational safety and health challenge · Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health (PEROSH network, with TNO), 2026
  • (Un)healthy algorithms? Trade union, employer, and government action for safety and health in algorithmically managed work · Karolinska Institutet, 2025
• Shadow AI6 publications

  • What we do in the AI shadows (GenAI Workforce Survey 2026) · Deloitte UK, 2026
  • Governing Before Rules. Shadow AI among Legislative Advisors in Mexico City · Tecnológico de Monterrey, 2026
  • Shadow AI in Swedish Health Care: Qualitative Analysis of Physicians’ Free-Text Answers · Halmstad University, 2026
  • The deep (layered) state: shadow AI as statecraft dispositif · Centre Urbanisation Culture Société, 2026
  • Digital shadow AI risk theory (DART): A framework for managing data disclosure and privacy risks of AI tools at work · Université de Bordeaux, 2026
  • Kunstmatige intelligentie (AI) in de zorg. De meningen van verpleegkundigen, verzorgenden, verpleegkundig specialisten, begeleiders en praktijkondersteuners · Nivel, 2026
  Briefing: Shadow AI: employees' own AI tools and the policy lagging behind →
• Developer productivity4 publications

  • Echoes of AI: Investigating the downstream effects of AI assistants on software maintainability · Lund University, 2026
  • The impact of AI on software engineers in 2026: key trends. Part 1 · The Pragmatic Engineer, 2026
  • The Effects of Generative AI on High-Skilled Work: Evidence from Three Field Experiments with Software Developers · Princeton University, 2026
  • We are Changing our Developer Productivity Experiment Design · METR, 2026
  Briefing: AI in software development and the trouble with measuring productivity →
• Process improvement with language models2 publications

  • Conversational Process Model Redesign · Technical University of Munich, 2026
  • Continuous Business Process Improvement Driven by Large Language Models · University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 2026
• Management and front line2 publications

  • AI at Work: Why Strategy Matters More Than Tools · Boston Consulting Group, 2026
  • Why AI adoption stalls on the shopfloor, and how retail leaders can fix it (Talking Shop 2026) · Rotageek and Retail Week, 2026

Briefings on this theme

Where several organisations publish roughly the same thing on a topic, we have used AI to compile a briefing. Click a card for the key point, the figures with their sources and what it means for the leadership team.

Briefings on other themes that touch on this one

These briefings belong to another theme but also cover AI at work.