Generative artificial intelligence is positioned as a universal assistant, but the endless flow of generated content can seriously damage work efficiency. Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke said on the podcast knowledge planSuch techniques often give rise to a new phenomenon called “hand grenades,” in which employees bombard each other with words without real stakes or control.
Lütke gave the example of an employee sending a long letter written by a neural network, and the recipient was forced to use another language model to summarize it. Not only does this cycle create additional routine, but it is also exacerbated by AI’s tendency to create convincing illusions, which can allow unverified information or factual errors to creep into the workflow unnoticed.