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Subvolts take AI adoption paradoxes revealed: discover the hidden work making AI useful. Jun 10, 2026
For you
Business
Understand the hidden labor in AI adoption and learn strategies to improve AI integration and organizational effectiveness.
Everyday users
Discover why AI tools at work might not be delivering expected benefits and what "botsitting" means for your productivity.
Hype note
3/5Notable

This episode offers a practical look at AI adoption challenges and solutions from a leading researcher in the field.

The Cognitive Revolution
The Cognitive Revolution · S1 Episode

Babysitting the Machine: Glean's Rebecca Hinds on the Hidden Human Labor of AI at Work

1 h 46 Interview Hosts: Nathan Labenz
0:001:46:20

Audio streams from Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz. Your place is remembered on this device.

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From Subvolts

Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.

Summary

The Cognitive Revolution podcast features Rebecca Hinds of Glean discussing the Work AI Index 2026 report. Despite 87% of workers using AI and reporting time savings, only 13% see significant organizational improvement. Hinds introduces "botsitting" and "botshitting" to explain this paradox, offering solutions like better AI integration and clearer policies.

Explained simply

Many people use AI at work and save time, but their companies aren't much better off. This episode explains why, introducing ideas like "botsitting" where people do extra work to help AI succeed. It matters because it shows how we can make AI truly helpful for everyone.

Why listen

This episode unpacks the "productivity paradox" in AI adoption, revealing the hidden human effort required to make AI useful. It's for business leaders and workers grappling with AI integration, showing how companies like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are indirectly affected by these real-world adoption challenges. Understanding "botsitting" is crucial as AI tools become more prevalent in enterprise settings, impacting how organizations measure and achieve AI-driven success.

On the mic
  • HostNathan Labenz
  • GuestRebecca HindsHead of the Work AI Institute, Glean
About
AnthropicGoogleMicrosoftOpenAIEnterpriseResearchPolicy
Key facts
  • Episode Title: Babysitting the Machine: Glean's Rebecca Hinds on the Hidden Human Labor of AI at Work
  • Show: The Cognitive Revolution
  • Length: 106 minutes
  • AI Usage: 87% of workers use AI
  • Reported Time Savings: 13 hours per week
  • Significant Organizational Improvement: 13%
Show notes from Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz

Rebecca Hinds, author of "Your Best Meeting Ever" and Head of the Work AI Institute at Glean, breaks down the surprising findings from the new Work AI Index 2026 report surveying 6,000 workers. While 87% now use AI and report saving 13 hours per week, only 13% say their organization is performing significantly better—a paradox explained by two new concepts: "botsitting" (the hidden labor of making AI useful) and "botshitting" (delivering AI-generated work you can't defend). They discuss practical solutions including better-integrated AI systems, smarter AI detection policies, and aligning work to meaningful missions.



LINKS:



Sponsor:

Claude:

Claude by Anthropic is an AI collaborator that understands your workflow and helps you tackle research, writing, coding, and organization with deep context. Get started with Claude and explore Claude Pro at https://claude.ai/tcr



CHAPTERS:

(00:00) About the Episode

(03:22) Grounding AI adoption

(06:46) Methodology and Glean

(12:25) Productivity paradox emerges (Part 1)

(20:31) Sponsor: Claude

(22:22) Productivity paradox emerges (Part 2)

(25:36) Bot sitting burden

(34:00) Hidden time savings

(39:56) Meaning versus automation

(47:14) Enterprise graph potential

(53:13) Detecting bot slop

(01:00:32) Retention and incentives

(01:07:54) Transformation and mission

(01:20:06) AI teammate model

(01:26:01) Future organizational design

(01:32:31) Research and meetings

(01:41:43) Episode Outro

(01:45:07) Outro



PRODUCED BY:

https://aipodcast.ing



Jargon decoded
botsitting
Rebecca Hinds
the hidden human effort required to make AI tools work effectively
botshitting
Rebecca Hinds
delivering AI-generated work that cannot be defended or is unreliable
Published
Show
The Cognitive Revolution · Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz
Length
1 h 46
Companies
Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI
Products
Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft 365 Copilot
Summary by
Subvolts, using an AI model (how we work). Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
#Enterprise#Research#Policy

Best of The Cognitive Revolution

More on Anthropic this week

Questions people ask

What is the Work AI Index 2026 report?
It is a report surveying 6,000 workers about their use of AI at work and its impact on organizational performance.
What are "botsitting" and "botshitting"?
"Botsitting" refers to the hidden human labor needed to make AI useful, while "botshitting" describes delivering indefensible AI-generated work.

Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Erik Torenberg, Nathan Labenz.