The rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) have caused a major shift in the job market, sparking concerns about job loss and replacement. Now, a new development has created a subgroup of employees, who are utilizing generative AI to work multiple full-time jobs. These workers have been dubbed “overemployed” and have been utilizing AI chatbots such as ChatGPT to manage their jobs. One worker had reported to Vice, “That’s the only reason I got my job this year. ChatGPT does like 80 percent of my job if I’m being honest,” and even utilized the chatbot to apply for jobs.
The workers are able to use ChatGPT to draft and send messages to their employers, such as in Slack, and only need to adjust the reports and messages in order to make them appear unique. There are workers utilizing this process that are able to manage more than one job at a time; with one worker claiming to do three financial reporting jobs, a university lecturer teaching classes and also running two other businesses simaltaneously.
Despite their success, many people view this process as unethical, as it can lead to the automation of jobs which can cause displacement of workers. One employee responded to this issue while speaking to Vice, “I never could mentally comprehend why it was so taboo for me to work two salaried positions.” It is due to this that many employees have to be careful not to let their employers find out that they are “overemployed”, as they can risk losing their job.
ChatGPT is an AI-based chatbot software developed by a Ukrainian software engineering company. This product is meant to serve as a virtual assistant to help entrepreneurs manage their businesses without having to hire extra staff, thus reducing costs and increasing efficiency. The AI utilized in the technology is based on natural language processing, which allows it to understand the user’s requests and respond with appropriate responses. Through this, ChatGPT aims to automate complex tasks such as customer support, data analysis, and business process automation.
The “overemployed” workers that Vice has spoken to seems to be utilizing ChatGPT to manage multiple salaried positions without compromising their job security. It remains to be seen if this trend will gain traction and lead to an increased automation of the workforce, but the potential is certainly there. As the use of AI increases, employers will have to get creative and strategic in order to remain relevant and protect their jobs.
