# AI Fails to Deliver a Four-Day Work Week Especially at AI companies, working hours are increasing. - **Source:** [Slashdot](https://brifing.si/source/0f34d58e-1ccd-45a6-ab82-2de4065dc7ad) - **Published:** 2026-08-15 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/85f85df5-1a2c-437e-9ebf-04dd99075036 ## AI's Promise of a Four-Day Work Week An engineering director at Google predicted that AI would enable a four-day work week by 2025. OpenAI also recommended that companies test a four-day work week without changing pay. However, these promises have yet to materialize. ## Work Culture at OpenAI A former OpenAI technical employee revealed that the company never tested the four-day work week. Employees frequently attended crisis meetings, worked on weekends, and faced intense performance reviews. One employee reported working at least 70 hours a week. ## Intensity of AI Projects at Meta Meta employees were abruptly assigned to AI projects this year. Work hours are long, with weekend and night shifts being common. Employees feel they are 'on call' even during non-working hours. ## AI Increasing Workload A UC Berkeley study found that AI tools are increasing employees' workloads. Workers are performing tasks faster, taking on broader responsibilities, and working more hours each day. The need to constantly check AI outputs also adds to the workload. ## Predictions About AI Reducing Workload An innovation scholar at MIT noted that predictions about AI reducing workloads are inaccurate. 'People think 20% less work means a four-day work week. But new tasks emerge.' ## Work Hours in the US and UK In the US, there are no limits on working hours for people over 16. In the UK and Europe, weekly working hours, including overtime, are capped at 48. This contributes to longer working hours. ## Work Hours at AI Companies Employees at AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic report working up to 90 hours a week. In this intense environment, workers frequently attend crisis meetings and face sudden layoffs during performance reviews. ## AI's Future and Work Life AI's promise of reducing workloads has yet to be realized. Especially at AI companies, working hours are increasing, and employees are subjected to intense schedules. This highlights the need to reassess AI's impact on work life. ## Sources covering this story - https://it.slashdot.org/story/26/08/15/079216/ai-fails-to-deliver-a-4-day-work-week---especially-at-ai-companies?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._