‘Like drinking from a firehose’ – what it’s like to be the human in the AI loop

New Zealand’s public service overhaul hinges on the promise of AI to increase efficiency and compensate for workforce reductions.
Generative AI (GenAI) tools offer efficiencies and cost savings but also pose risks like security vulnerabilities, biases, and ethical oversight challenges.
A human oversight role is crucial for accountability and managing AI-generated content, but it comes with significant responsibilities and pressures.
Successful GenAI implementation can create bottlenecks for human reviewers who now must oversee a high volume of fast-generated content, leading to potential burnout and reduced quality.
Organizations must balance the rapid output from GenAI tools with effective human oversight to avoid generating low-quality (“workslop”) content, ensuring accountability and upholding professional standards.