Time Is Money
I think this story about the technician is popular folklore because something about it doesn’t sit well with us in a world that is largely designed around equating time with money. We’re typically told to decouple the value of expertise from the time spent on a specific piece of work. Yet, the relationship between time and money is deeply ingrained in our culture. It’s embedded in the business model of many professional services that are still based on billable hours. Even with a fixed fee belgium whatsapp number data contract or value-based pricing, we do the mental calculation of time spent in order to justify the expense and feel like we’re getting good value. e by attaching a larger dollar value to time. We also rely on market forces to ensure the impacts of technology are kept in check. We expect that technology and automation will drive down cost in the long run.
Paying for time also holds true in how we arrange compensation for employees. Even those on a salary are expected to show up for a certain number of hours a week. If we use technology to get better at doing our jobs, the number of hours we work doesn’t get reduced. We typically just get more work! We negotiate for vacation and sick leave, the time we’ll still be paid for even if work is not produced.
I didn’t share my hypothesis with the folks who answered my survey, but I was pretty much in agreement with the consultant that disclosing the use of generative AI would negatively impact the perceived value of the work. I think disclosure is needed, but I also think it might come with a cost, making it harder to do it voluntarily.