These 2 kinds of employees are emerging in the AI-generated ‘workslop’ era—here’s why it may be better to write the email yourself

As AI tools are reshaping how white-collar workers communicate, two very different kinds of employees are starting to emerge.

On one side are “pilots,” the ones using AI to enhance creativity and precision, according to a new study . On the other are “passengers” who rely on AI to do the work for them and flood inboxes with “workslop”: long-winded, low-value content that looks polished but adds little substance.

The term “workslop” was minted by recent research from the Stanford Social Media Lab and BetterUp, a professional training and coaching company. It may sound familiar to online users who have previously referred to low-quality AI-generated content as “AI slop.” And while AI use has doubled at work since 2023, a recent MIT Media Lab report found 95% of organizations have s