OpenAI's Dots head says AI means workers now have a choice between doing less or more
OpenAI executive Alexander Embiricos suggests that AI tools like the new 'Dots' assistant offer workers a choice between increasing productivity or reducing their overall workload. While some employees use AI to handle more tasks, others may leverage it to reclaim free time.
Why it matters
This highlights the evolving debate on whether AI will serve as a tool for labor liberation or a catalyst for increased workplace intensity.
Attendees at OpenAI's DevDay conference on September 29, 2026. Minh Connors/Bloomberg via Getty Images OpenAI's Alexander Embiricos said the AI era gives a choice: work more, or work less. He's in charge of Dots, the company's new always-on work assistant. AI is often pitched as freeing up time. Embiricos responded to the idea that it might add more work. As the competitive AI race pushes tech workers into long hours, the head of OpenAI's new Dots product says AI gives people another option: work a whole lot less. Alexander Embiricos, who leads OpenAI's enterprise product and helms the new Dots agent tool , told a crowd at TechCrunch's Disrupt conference on Thursday that AI's capabilities have created something of a fork in the road for workers. You can grind to meet the moment. Or you can use AI to kick your feet up a little.
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