Artificial intelligence (AI) can help people find meaning in their work. Originally, “fake work” referred to tasks that don’t add value to a company and only serve to keep employees busy. Now, fake work has a new dimension: using software, we can pretend to work without being productive. Terms like “home office simulation” and “quiet vacationing” have emerged. Is this what we want? No!
Fake work and work simulation highlight what the modern work environment lacks: a focus on real value creation and work that motivates people, allowing them to use their skills productively and creatively. The solution is AI. With AI, we can optimize productivity and create a work environment where we enjoy working again.
If companies use AI correctly, they can allow employees to focus on meaningful, creative, and strategic tasks. Routine tasks that waste our time can be assigned to machines, while humans do what machines can’t: think creatively, make strategic decisions, and bring empathy to relationships. AI should help us find joy in our work by allowing us to focus on activities that truly advance us.
In many companies, more emphasis is placed on activity than on real results. The feeling of always being busy pushes the question of whether our actions have an impact into the background. People want more than just to appear productive—they crave work with clear meaning. The desire to make a difference and contribute is deeply rooted in us.
New Work, as a concept of a new work culture, addresses this by creating a work environment that centers on people, enabling them to take responsibility and be creative. However, this desire for self-determination and meaning often clashes with the realities of many organizations that still adhere to rigid structures, which can lead to work simulation and fake productivity.
Fake work, in both senses, is not just a technical or organizational issue—it’s a cultural one. The tendency for employees to pretend to work shows that many organizations focus on the wrong priorities. In a work culture where mere presence and constant availability are seen as productivity, and fake work is common, real progress is often hindered.
New Work and AI are part of the solution. The concept encourages companies to create flexible structures and give employees more responsibility. But this change only works with an awareness of work quality. It’s not about doing more tasks but doing the right tasks. This means asking the right questions: What adds real value? Where are human skills essential? How can we use technology to support us rather than trap us in fake work?
By combining AI and New Work, we can create a work environment that enables real value creation and leaves fake work behind. It’s up to us to use technology as a tool to focus on tasks that truly advance us—that’s New Work.
Christoph Magnussen is the founder of the New Work consultancy Blackboat, which strengthens collaboration in companies. Magnussen is also co-host of the podcast “On the Way to New Work” and co-author of the book of the same name.