The rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) has caused significant changes in the job market, leading to concerns about job loss and displacement. However, a new trend has emerged in which individuals are using generative AI to work multiple full-time jobs simultaneously.
Dubbed the “overemployed,” these workers are utilizing the power of AI chatbots to take on various roles, raising questions about the future of work and the potential acceleration of job automation.
The workers interviewed by Vice who identify as “overemployed” claim that they are able to work more than one job at a time by using AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. One worker admitted, “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 used the chatbot to apply for jobs.
Despite some minor errors made by the AI, the workers say that they only need to make slight modifications to the copy delivered to their bosses. They even go so far as to draft responses to Slack messages from their managers using ChatGPT.
Another worker claims that they can perform three financial reporting jobs at once by generating useful code with AI. Even a university lecturer is able to juggle teaching, running a digital marketing agency, and a tech startup.
The workers do not believe that they are doing anything wrong by working multiple full-time jobs simultaneously, although this practice is generally frowned upon. One tech worker interviewed by Vice stated, “I never could mentally comprehend why it was so taboo for me to work two salaried positions.”
According to Vice’s sources, this trend could lead to the automation of jobs by highly advanced algorithms capable of performing a wide range of human jobs. Therefore, it is in the workers’ best interests to keep their multiple jobs a secret from employers, as it could result in the loss of many salaried positions.
The emergence of the “overemployed” who use AI chatbots to work multiple full-time jobs at once may indicate that the automation of jobs is about to accelerate in the age of AI chatbots.
While these workers do not believe they are doing anything wrong, this trend could lead to the dissolution of numerous salaried positions if employers become aware of it.