I like to think I’m living proof this isn’t true. But a new in-progress analysis in Harvard Business Review challenges the belief that artificial intelligence will automatically lighten employee workloads.
Researchers Aruna Ranganathan and Xingqi Maggie Ye studied how generative AI tools were used over an eight-month period at a U.S. technology company and found that, rather than reducing work, AI frequently expanded employees' workloads and the amount they produced. The study found that workers adopted AI to boost productivity, such as drafting text and generating alternatives, but at the cost of creating more work.
Apparently, there’s a thing called “task expansion.” Here’s HBR:
HBR explained how AI can blur the boundary between work and personal time. Many employees in the analysis reported using AI prompts during breaks, in meetings, or right before getting up from their work, which made work feel less like distinct “work time” and more like a continuous stream of tasks.
“Some workers described realizing, often in hindsight, that as prompting during breaks became habitual, downtime no longer provided the same sense of recovery.”
📝 Latest AI contracts
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has issued a new request for information (RFI) seeking industry input on how to build a robust test, evaluation, verification, and validation (TEVV) capability for artificial intelligence systems used across the defense intelligence enterprise. The unclassified RFI, released this month, is aimed at helping the agency better assess the reliability, security, and trustworthiness of AI-enabled capabilities as they become more central to intelligence analysis and national security decision-making.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to spend another $225,000 on a one-year contract with Clearview AI to provide facial recognition software to its intelligence and targeting units. Under the agreement, CBP will procure 15 Clearview AI licenses for analysts within the U.S. Border Patrol’s Intelligence Division and the National Targeting Center, with the goal of enhancing the agency’s ability to identify, vet, and analyze individuals who may pose national security or public safety threats at the border.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is seeking industry partners to commercialize a new technology that uses artificial intelligence and vibration analysis to improve industrial efficiency and cybersecurity. The system, called VISION—short for Vibration Intelligence System for Industrial Operation and Networks—uses advanced signal processing and AI-driven machine learning models to analyze vibration data and predict machine performance, detect failures, and identify anomalies that could signal cyberattacks, all without integrating directly into existing control systems. Developed to a Technology Readiness Level 5 prototype, VISION is designed to run AI at the edge with minimal computational overhead and could be applied across sectors including oil and gas, power generation, chemical manufacturing, and water utilities, according to Los Alamos.
🎒 Learn something in 5 steps: How to use Google Gemini and your data to create a PowerPoint presentation
1. Prepare and Upload Your Source Data
First, gather the data you want to visualize. This could be a Google Sheet, a PDF report, or whatever you want.
Go to gemini.google.com.
Use the plus (+) icon or the @ symbol to attach your file (e.g.,
@Sales_Data_2025or@Project_Draft).
2. Activate "Canvas" Mode
Type your prompt: "Create a presentation based on the attached spreadsheet."
Pro Tip: If you are using the side-by-side view, look for the Canvas toggle in the tools menu. This opens a dedicated workspace on the right side of your screen where the presentation will "live" as it's being built.
3. Define the Structure and Narrative
Enter very specific details for what you’re looking for. Example: "Create a 6-slide presentation from this data. Focus on the decline in shipping costs and the growth in Northeast sales. Use a professional, executive tone and include a summary slide at the end."
4. Refine Visuals and Charts
Once the draft appears in Canvas, you can edit it using natural language.
Visuals: Click on a slide and type, "Add an image of a modern warehouse to this slide" or "Change the background to dark mode."
Data Visualization: If the data is complex, ask: "Turn the table on slide 3 into a bar chart comparing Q1 and Q2." Gemini will generate the visualization directly in the preview.
5. Export to Google Slides (and then export to PowerPoint)
If you dig the preview in Gemini, then do this:
Click the Export to Slides (or "Open in Slides") button located at the top right of the Canvas panel.
Gemini will convert the AI-generated preview into a standard
.gslidesfile in your Google Drive.All text and images are now fully editable. You can apply your company's official theme or fine-tune the layout using the standard Google Slides tools.
Need to make a PowerPoint file? Export from Google Slides by going to o File > Download > Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx)
Marine Corps taps General Atomics to test pilotless jet
The U.S. Marine Corps selected General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to participate in the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Uncrewed Expeditionary Tactical Aircraft (MUX TACAIR) Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, marking a significant step in advancing next-generation autonomous air combat capabilities. Under the agreement, GA-ASI’s YFQ-42A surrogate platform will integrate a Marine Corps mission package for evaluation alongside crewed fighters in future expeditionary air operations.
The General Atomics YFQ-42A can fly missions alongside crewed aircraft, such as fighter jets. Instead of replacing pilots, the idea is to give them extra help in the air — such as scouting ahead, carrying sensors, relaying information, or even handling dangerous tasks — while a human pilot stays in control of the overall mission.
The effort is part of the Marines’ MUX TACAIR program, which is exploring how uncrewed aircraft can support Marines in future conflicts.
The move shows how the Marine Corps is thinking about the future of air combat: using cheaper, uncrewed aircraft to work alongside human pilots, rather than relying only on expensive fighter jets. If the tests go well, aircraft like this could eventually become a regular part of Marine air operations, helping pilots do more while reducing risk and cost.
🗞 The other news
Start-ups backed by Daniel Ek and Peter Thiel win major German military drone contracts – Two tech-backed firms secured up to €4.3 billion in unmanned systems deals with the German armed forces, signaling fast-moving innovation and competition in European defense procurement.
Pentagon begins performance reviews of major defense contractors – The U.S. Defense Department has notified key primes that it will scrutinize their performance under Pentagon contracts, part of administrative pressure on the industry to meet production expectations and strategic goals.
Raytheon secures deal to build thousands of missiles for the U.S., including Tomahawks – Raytheon Technologies’ defense unit won a long-term Pentagon agreement to scale production of Tomahawk, AMRAAM, and SM-series missiles as the U.S. rebuilds stockpiles and bolsters industrial capacity.
Ukraine’s defense industry partners with NCMS to expand Middle East cooperation – Ukrainian defense firms signed an agreement with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences to grow international industrial ties and market reach, especially in the Middle East.