---
title: "Don’t be fooled. The AI that was supposed to save us time is doing just the opposite | Gaby Hinsliff"
slug: "ai-sollte-zeit-sparen-doch-die-flut-an-ai-inhalten-kostet-mehr-zeit"
date: 2026-10-20
category: tech-pub
tags: []
language: en
sources_count: 1
featured: false
publisher: AInauten News
url: https://news.ainauten.com/en/story/ai-sollte-zeit-sparen-doch-die-flut-an-ai-inhalten-kostet-mehr-zeit
---

# Don’t be fooled. The AI that was supposed to save us time is doing just the opposite | Gaby Hinsliff

**Published**: 2026-10-20 | **Category**: tech-pub | **Sources**: 1

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## TL;DR

The UK government says it can transform the state with AI, yet columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues in The Guardian that the technology is producing the opposite effect.

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## Summary

The UK government says it can transform the state with AI, yet columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues in The Guardian that the technology is producing the opposite effect. Machine-generated content is flooding inboxes, public services and workflows, and everyone pays the cost in time and attention. She compares the trend to email, which was meant to save hours of meetings and phone calls and now consumes hours of deleting. Her argument is that when content becomes almost free to produce, the burden shifts to the people who receive it.

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## Why it matters

The UK government says it can transform the state with AI, yet columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues in The Guardian that the technology is producing the opposite effect.

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## Key Points

- The UK government says it can transform the state with AI, yet columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues in The Guardian that the technology is producing the opposite effect.
- Machine-generated content is flooding inboxes, public services and workflows, and everyone pays the cost in time and attention.
- She compares the trend to email, which was meant to save hours of meetings and phone calls and now consumes hours of deleting.
- Her argument is that when content becomes almost free to produce, the burden shifts to the people who receive it.

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## Nauti's Take

AI's advantage remains real when it finishes tasks instead of producing more text, for example sorting, summarising or filling in forms. The problem starts when every department generates more emails and reports that others have to read. Public bodies and teams should measure success by reading time saved and set clear volume rules for generated content.

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## FAQ

**Q:** What is Don’t be fooled. The AI that was supposed to save us time is doing just the opposite | Gaby Hinsliff about?

**A:** The UK government says it can transform the state with AI, yet columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues in The Guardian that the technology is producing the opposite effect.

**Q:** Why does it matter?

**A:** The UK government says it can transform the state with AI, yet columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues in The Guardian that the technology is producing the opposite effect.

**Q:** What are the key takeaways?

**A:** The UK government says it can transform the state with AI, yet columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues in The Guardian that the technology is producing the opposite effect.. Machine-generated content is flooding inboxes, public services and workflows, and everyone pays the cost in time and attention.. She compares the trend to email, which was meant to save hours of meetings and phone calls and now consumes hours of deleting.

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## Related Topics

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## Sources

- [Don’t be fooled. The AI that was supposed to save us time is doing just the opposite | Gaby Hinsliff](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/20/ai-supposed-to-save-time-opposite-government-uk) - The Guardian AI

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## About This Article

This article is a synthesis of 1 sources, curated and summarized by AInauten News. We aggregate AI news from trusted sources and provide bilingual (German/English) coverage.

**Publisher**: [AInauten](https://www.ainauten.com) | **Site**: [news.ainauten.com](https://news.ainauten.com)

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*Last Updated: 2026-10-20*