A Stanford study reveals an ironic twist: while AI tools promise efficiency, they're creating a new productivity tax. Knowledge workers now spend 40% of their time managing AI outputs rather than doing original work.
The "prompt middle class" has emerged - professionals who aren't AI experts but must constantly tweak prompts and verify outputs. Microsoft's research shows it takes 5-7 iterations to get usable AI content.
The solution? Treat AI like a junior colleague - delegate discrete tasks, not entire workflows. The most productive teams use AI for first drafts and data sorting, not decision-making.
As one engineer quipped: "My AI assistant needs an assistant."