Otago University research looks to four-day work week for businesses to adapt to increased artificial intelligence

University of Otago researchers are suggesting a shortened work week, either to four days or to align with school hours, as the best way to adapt to increasing artificial intelligence in the workplace.

The university this morning released a report, The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Jobs and Work in New Zealand, which it says highlights the uncertainty around whether workers will be enabled or displaced by the technology.

In a statement, one of the authors, Professor James Maclaurin, said enabling AI operates alongside human workers, increasing efficiency, productivity and potentially incomes.

However, he added that displacing AI pushes workers into low paid work with technology taking on high value tasks.

"We must also find ways to deploy or revamp regulations to prevent wholesale uptake of AI from harming New Zealand workers and the public," he said.

"It is difficult to find approaches that would decrease inequality if high-value work becomes scarcer but would also secure meaningful increase in wellbeing should AI make Aotearoa wealthier."

Maclaurin said the most promising approach to adapt was shortening the work week.

"Experiments here and overseas suggest that office workers can often maintain productivity despite dropping to a four-day week," he said.

"In operational jobs such as manufacturing work or nursing, government would have to subsidise the shorter work week so that workers retained the same level of pay.

"This would effectively subsidise the sharing of a wide variety of high-value, well-paid work. It would also address metrics which show that New Zealanders overwork when compared to other comparable developed countries.

"A four-day week or a workday synchronised to the school day would help to build vibrant and resilient communities in which it would be easier for all of us to look after our kaumātua, tamariki and mokopuna."

Employers & Manufacturers Association's Melanie Mackay told 1 NEWS   if it works for organisations they’ll do it, but that they don’t have any picture on this from the association's membership.

"AI is certainly another tool in the box that can deliver the overarching benefits of technology as it can relate to productivity, but it needs to be balanced with retaining culture in a workplace, as does a four-day week," she said.

"Clearly though any additional costs to business at this time would be difficult to manage."