The work-from-home revolution has ended, but its effects linger, including a baby boom, cleaner air, and the rise of AI. Many people have adapted to hybrid work arrangements, splitting time between office and home.
Even for those working full-time in the office, the WFH revolution has had an impact. Nick Bloom, a Stanford economist and remote work expert, discussed with Themoneytimes’s Aki Ito six key changes from the WFH era.
Some effects are personal; remote work caused a 5% fertility increase in the US and Northern Europe, as Bloom noted, quoting a friend: ‘My wife and I discovered she can’t get pregnant by email.’ Other impacts are broader, like reduced nitrogen dioxide levels in cities due to hybrid work. However, the most significant legacy of WFH is artificial intelligence, which is now a hot topic in workplaces.
Bloom argues that WFH laid the groundwork for AI to advance. When we left offices, digital communications exploded, providing abundant data for AI models.
Casual chats turned into documented Slack messages that could be used to train LLMs. With partial returns to the office, questions arise about how companies will obtain more training data for AI.
AI companies, having exhausted online data, are desperate for more training data, even creating virtual offices. Of course, people still use Slack in the office.
(I’ve messaged colleagues nearby, sometimes to see if I can make them laugh in real life.) However, some communication remains undocumented, like quick coffee chats or spontaneous desk-side talks. Executives pushed for RTO to foster organic collaboration and innovation through in-person interactions.
This RTO trend could now hinder AI development. Companies might consider recording office conversations to gather data, but this raises legal and regulatory concerns.
With workers worried about AI replacing jobs, recording their conversations to improve AI could increase anxiety. Despite this, with massive investments and stakes in the stock market, AI companies must find solutions.
At least, children from the WFH baby boom will enter the workforce in decades, providing support.