AI is transforming how we live and work—but are we becoming more efficient, or just more exhausted? As machine-driven optimisation enters every corner of our lives, the pressure to perform may be doing more harm than good.
By Stuart Kerr, Technology Correspondent
Published: 17 July 2025
Last Updated: 17 July 2025
Contact: liveaiwire@gmail.com | Twitter: @LiveAIWire
The Quiet Takeover of Human Time
AI once promised to take mundane tasks off our plates. Today, it’s deciding when we sleep, when we focus, even when we breathe. From workplace software that monitors emotional tone to wellness apps that score our rest, machine intelligence has turned productivity into a way of life.
And yet, for all the smart nudges and data dashboards, people are burning out. A growing body of evidence suggests that rather than freeing us, optimisation culture may be enslaving us to new forms of digital self-surveillance.
From Support to Surveillance
Wearables that track sleep and stress now sync with productivity dashboards. Workplace tools analyse voice tone, eye movement, and typing rhythm to detect fatigue. At first glance, these technologies seem to care. But a deeper look reveals their primary function is not empathy—it’s extraction.
The OECD's 2024 report on AI in the workplace explores how such tools, despite good intentions, often erode psychological safety. As companies rely on AI to monitor wellbeing, what they’re often measuring is loyalty and output.
A recent Business Insider investigation found that 74% of employees using AI productivity systems said the tools actually increased their stress levels. Instead of feeling supported, they felt surveilled.
The Myth of Healthy Optimisation
Behind every AI suggestion lies a dataset—collected, processed, and re-weaponised in the name of improvement. That morning meditation reminder? It may be based on biometric signals, user history, or predictions about your performance drop-off. In this system, wellness becomes work.
The McKinsey Global Institute’s “Future of Wellness” report identifies wellness tech as a trillion-dollar frontier. But its optimism glosses over a growing concern: when users feel compelled to optimise everything—from water intake to mood tracking—authentic rest disappears.
Worse still, as noted in Harvard Business Review, generative AI tools, while effective at boosting output, may undercut personal agency. When an algorithm can write your summary, schedule your day, and nudge your break time, you begin to question where your choices end and machine preference begins.
Losing the Unplanned
Optimisation promises control—but often at the cost of spontaneity. We are encouraged to schedule creativity, log mindfulness, and gamify relaxation. AI curates our playlists, arranges our social feeds, and even “predicts” what we’ll need next. But in this curated reality, the unexpected becomes rare.
That’s a problem, argues Dr. Lina Forde, a digital sociologist who studies tech-induced behavioural change. She warns that algorithmic living narrows our range of experience. When everything is optimised, there’s no room left for curiosity—or joy.
Even emotional intelligence is being shaped by code. In an article from LiveAIWire, researchers explored how AI systems are simulating empathy. But what happens when our understanding of emotion is reduced to algorithmic output?
The Illusion of Control
AI doesn’t just reshape how we act—it alters what we value. Downtime once meant idleness, rest, and play. Now, it’s another slot on the calendar to be optimised.
The OECD PDF notes that as AI enters more deeply into time-use management, a risk emerges: the loss of personal discretion. If a system prompts you to focus, and tracks whether you obeyed, are you still in charge?
We already see this in AI-powered wellness programs that reward compliance with streaks, badges, or performance boosts. A LiveAIWire feature on wellness systems discussed how behaviourist incentives are becoming the norm in consumer apps.
Resisting the Algorithmic Ideal
Resistance isn’t rejection—it’s rebalancing. AI can and should assist where it enhances freedom. But that requires maintaining agency. You can use a mindfulness app without letting it dictate your worth. You can track habits without turning life into a performance.
As explored in LiveAIWire’s coverage of AI in mental health, therapeutic tools have the potential to democratise access to care. But they must remain tools—not masters.
The world doesn’t need more perfect productivity. It needs more room for reflection, friction, and rest. AI should serve that goal, not distract from it.
About the Author
Stuart Kerr is the Technology Correspondent for LiveAIWire. He writes about artificial intelligence, ethics, and how technology is reshaping everyday life. Read more