AI-Induced 'Workslop' in Offices: Brisbane Start-Up Raises $2.3M to Combat It
Australian Financial Review
SKIPPED
Details
- Date Published
- 28 Sept 2025
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 30 Sept 2025, 12:49 pm
Description
AI-generated content that appears polished at first but lacks any real substance is creating a drag on productivity, according to new research.
Summary
The article highlights the emergence of 'workslop'—AI-generated content that appears polished but lacks substantive value—leading to reduced productivity in offices. Brisbane-based start-up Enhanced Labs has secured $2.3 million from Blackbird to develop solutions addressing this issue. By focusing on improving the quality of AI-assisted outputs, Enhanced Labs aims to curb inefficiencies in workplace communication and document production. Although primarily relevant to business productivity, the article underscores the potential risks of relying on AI for critical tasks without substantial oversight in global and Australian contexts.
Body
TechnologyFundingPrint articleTess BennettTechnology reporterSep 29, 2025 – 8.00pmSaveLog inorSubscribeto save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?LoginIf you’ve ever found yourself reviewing a colleague’s work and wondering whether you should rewrite it yourself, make them rewrite it, or just decide it’s good enough, then you’ve probably dealt with “workslop”.The term, coined by researchers at Stanford University and consulting firm BetterUp Labs, describes AI-generated content that “masquerades as good work but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task”.Loading...Tess Bennettis a technology reporter with The Australian Financial Review, based in the Brisbane newsroom. She was previously the work & careers reporter.Connect withTessonTwitter.EmailTessattess.bennett@afr.comSaveLog inorSubscribeto save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreFetching latest articlesHow we shot the 2025 Power issueMatthew DrummondAustralia’s 10 most powerful people in 2025The year’s top 10 power players (that aren’t people)‘It was coming out in my sleep’: How the Medibank CEO combats stressSally Patten, Mandy Coolen and Lili Tisch-BostockFinally, women are leading some of the biggest deals in the countryBillionaire property whisperer Monika Tu spills her secretsThe Australian start-up banking on the $484m tattoo marketSherine YoussefTravel is booming in Greenland – despite Trump trying to pinch itThe most recognisable stool in the world is getting a makeoverNicola Forrest spotted with new boyfriend in EuropeHannah WoottonMacquarie-backed seaweed group enlists Japanese giant, eyes IPOA new twist in the billionaire Wright family feud