VOA科学技术2023--Study Finds AI Tools Help but also Hurt Worker Performance

Study Finds AI Tools Help but also Hurt Worker Performance

An experiment involving hundreds of office workers has found that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can greatly help but also hurt worker performance.

AI tools designed to operate at human levels have greatly expanded in popularity over the past year. These include OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard¹ and Microsoft's AI-powered search engine Bing.

Such tools, also known as chatbots or "generative AI," are computer-powered systems. They are designed to interact smoothly² with humans and perform high-level writing and creative work.

In recent months, these tools have demonstrated an ability to produce high quality work. This has led some technology experts to warn that generative AI systems could end up replacing workers in many industries.

This year, researchers at Harvard Business School and other organizations carried out an experiment. It aimed to test how well AI tools could help workers perform their usual duties, or tasks. It involved more than 700 business advisors³, called consultants⁴, from Massachusetts-based Boston Consulting Group.

Harvard Business School recently published results from the experiment in a "working paper." The main findings suggest that AI tools like ChatGPT can greatly improve worker performance.

For example, researchers found that, on average, workers who used OpenAI's latest ChatGPT 4 tool completed 12 percent more tasks than non-ChatGPT users. Tasks carried out with help from the AI technology were completed 25 percent faster. And the team found the quality of work performed by consultants using ChatGPT 4 increased about 40 percent.

Work tasks used in the study covered four main areas: creativity, analytical⁵ thinking, writing and persuasiveness⁶. The team gave examples of worker tasks in each of these areas.

One example for creativity was: "Propose at least 10 ideas for a new shoe targeting an underserved market or sport." For writing, consultants were asked to "write a press release with marketing⁷ copy" for a new product. To show persuasiveness, workers were told to write a letter to employees that explained why a particular product would beat competitors.

Harvard Business School's Fabrizio Dell'Acqua was the paper's lead writer. He told technology website VentureBeat he thinks the results were especially important because they showed that AI tools can help even highly educated, experienced workers.

"The fact that we could boost the performance of these highly paid, highly skilled consultants, from top, elite⁸ MBA institutions...I would say that's really impressive," Dell'Acqua said.

However, the paper also noted⁹ areas where the performance of consultants using ChatGPT 4 dropped. The researchers said this was especially true with tasks the AI tool was not good at completing.

Of tasks the AI was good at, the experiment showed it "significantly improved human performance," the paper said. But for tasks ChatGPT 4 was not right for, "humans relied too much on the AI, and were more likely to make mistakes."

The researchers reported that consultants who used AI for tasks it was not well equipped for "were 19 percent less likely to produce correct solutions compared to those without AI."

The experiment also showed how consultants used the AI tool differently to improve their work. The researchers said some workers purposely divided the tasks with some being completely carried out by the AI tool and others the workers themselves carried out completely. Other workers chose to use AI for all tasks, while "continually interacting with the technology."

The team suggests one of the biggest barriers to companies effectively using AI is not knowing which tasks can be completed best with the technology. Finding this out will require businesses to carry out thoughtful research and training efforts in order to find the right mix of AI and human-level work.

Words in This Story

analytical – adj. examining the details of something carefully in order to understand or explain it

impressive – adj. making or attempting to make a marked impression

boost –v. to lift or increase something

elite – adj. the richest, most powerful or best educated groups in a society

rely – v. to depend on

1 bard   

n.吟游诗人

参考例句：

• I'll use my bard song to help you concentrate!我会用我的吟游诗人歌曲帮你集中精神！
• I find him,the wandering grey bard.我发现了正在徘徊的衰老游唱诗人。

2 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

3 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

4 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

5 analytical   

adj.分析的；用分析法的

参考例句：

• I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
• As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。

6 persuasiveness   

说服力

参考例句：

• His speech failed in persuasiveness and proof. 他的讲演缺乏说服力和论据。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There is inherent persuasiveness in some voices. 有些人的声音天生具有一种说服力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。