When is AI useful, or just a habit? A Play/Pause break helps teams decide.
Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab tested AI’s impact by asking 123 professionals to use or pause AI for a day, revealing both benefits and hidden costs of habitual use.
Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab conducted a two-day experiment with 123 talent acquisition professionals to assess AI’s role in daily work. On the first day, participants were instructed to use AI tools like Rovo and Dia for all tasks within guardrails, while the second day required a complete pause. The goal was to measure how AI use affects productivity, stress, and skill reliance. Participants reported that AI made priority work feel 44% easier and reduced stress by 22%, but 44% noted the added effort of verifying AI output.
When participants paused AI use, 82% felt compelled to ‘just ask AI,’ 47% found tasks harder, and 46% felt their non-AI skills had dulled. Nearly one in four used AI out of habit. Despite the challenges, the pause day helped teams identify where AI added value and where it did not. The contrast between the two days highlighted the difference between intentional and habitual AI use, offering a clearer picture of its actual impact on work.
After the experiment, 89% of teams reported a clearer shared understanding of when to use AI. The exercise turned individual insights into team-wide judgment, helping managers and employees alike discern AI’s role in their workflows. The findings suggest that indiscriminate AI use may affect efficiency, while strategic use can enhance productivity and reduce stress. The verification cost of AI output emerged as a key consideration for teams relying on the technology.
The experiment concluded that AI’s value depends on how teams implement it, not just its presence. Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab recommends a Play/Pause approach to help teams assess their AI use, balancing automation with human expertise. The research underscores the importance of deliberate AI adoption to avoid dependency and ensure teams retain critical skills.