AI Saves Time. Who Is Doing the Extra Checking?

AI is helping teams produce reports, analyses, and code faster than ever. Yet the time saved at the start of a task is often spent later, as colleagues review, correct, and coordinate what the tools produce. For leaders, the real question is not how quickly work is created, but who completes it.

The effort has moved, not disappeared.

The research shows a clear gap. A 2024 Upwork Research Institute survey found that 96% of executives expected AI to boost productivity, yet 77% of employees using AI said it had added to their workload. BetterUp Labs and the Stanford Social Media Lab found that employees spent close to two hours on each piece of AI-generated work that looked complete but needed significant revision. And in a 2025 METR trial, experienced developers believed AI made them about 20% faster, when they actually took 19% longer, with more time spent prompting and reviewing.

AI still adds real value. But part of the work quietly moves to someone else’s desk, and that is easy to overlook.

This work rarely appears in job descriptions or project plans. It usually flows to experienced reviewers and dependable team members, who take it on alongside their own responsibilities. Over time, this can strain the people organisations rely on most.

How leaders can recognise and share it

Start by making the work visible. Measure time from first draft to approved deliverable, not just drafting speed. Track review workloads alongside output and ask teams what they checked or refined each week. Because people tend to underestimate review time, pair these conversations with observed data.

Then share the work fairly. Whoever submits AI-assisted work should own its accuracy, so reviewers are not left to catch every error. A brief note on what has already been checked helps reviewers focus. Build review time into estimates and staffing and recognise it in performance conversations. Finally, match the level of checking to the level of risk: a light review for internal notes, defined steps for client, legal and financial work.

At ALVIGOR, we partner with leadership teams to capture the full value of AI. We help you measure net productivity gains, map where review effort sits, and design practical guidelines that keep quality high and workloads balanced.

If you would like a clearer view of where the extra checking sits in your organisation, we would be glad to start that conversation.