\n\t\u201cEfficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThis quote is attributed<\/a> to Peter Drucker, a consultant and author credited with shaping many management philosophies of the 20th century. This was a century that saw huge growth in productivity at both its start and close \u2014 first, with mass production, then with the internet. Technology offers many promises, but the opportunity to accomplish more tasks in less time is consistently the most compelling to business leaders.<\/p>\n \n\tToday, we are living through our own period of dramatic revolution through technological innovation, this time spurred by artificial intelligence (AI) and speculation on quantum computing. Many are calling AI an anchor for the fourth industrial revolution, with prominent voices both advocating for the immense promise of its development and warning of the consequences that may occur if we don\u2019t approach it responsibly.<\/p>\n \n\tIn fact, during a recent \u201cAI Action Summit,\u201d United Nations Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres called for global leaders<\/a> to come together to intentionally shape AI policy and development to leverage its potential to improve outcomes for everyone. In part, he said, \u201cWe must prevent a world of AI \u2018haves\u2019 and \u2018have-nots.\u2019 We must all work together so that artificial [intelligence] can bridge the gap between developed and developing countries \u2014 not widen it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSurely, there are plenty of scary, existential threats being discussed alongside AI. In October 2025, hundreds of public figures signed a petition to prevent the development of \u201csuperintelligence,\u201d a hypothetical form of AI that would surpass human intelligence capability.<\/p>\n \n\tHowever, while it\u2019s important to consider the potential future ramifications of this technology, we must remember the present. Even now, we are seeing significant impacts from AI on the ways we live and work.<\/p>\n \t\tThe Pressure of Productivity\t<\/p>\n \n\tCompanies in the US have already cited<\/a> the use of AI as directly responsible for more than 50,000 job cuts in 2025, with that number predicted to grow significantly in 2026 and beyond. Essentially, these organizations are making a bet that they can continue to grow, build and accomplish more with fewer human resources.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n \n\tHigher productivity has the potential to reduce the time spent on various tasks and leave more space for employees to relax, create or decompress, but, counterintuitively, it may be leading to more stress amidst constant digital connectivity.<\/p>\n \n\tEven at an individual level, the pressure of expanded productivity can take a toll on our psychology, leading to burnout. A survey of US workers<\/a> found that those who were frequent users of AI still had burnout rates around 45 percent \u2014 higher than those with infrequent or no AI use.<\/p>\n The Rolling Stone Culture Council<\/a> is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \t\tFinding Our Focus: The New Superpower\t<\/p>\n \n\tAmidst an \u201calways-on,\u201d \u201cconstantly available\u201d workplace, where burnout is the norm and the ability to be present and thoughtful is fleeting, people at all phases of their career are seeking support. Executive retreats have exploded in popularity, with companies like TeamOut and AvantStay\u00a0leaning in to the trend and offering services to find and plan corporate group retreats. The corporate retreats market is set to reach nearly $39 billion by 2027 and $74 billion by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.1 percent.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tIn a way, people are looking to go back to the basics. Supper clubs, curated gatherings for tastemakers to share meals, for instance, are also having a moment<\/a> in New York, Los Angeles, London and other global cities. These gatherings, which have been popular for more than a century, are roaring back as professionals seek connections that are personal, offline and without distraction.<\/p>\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n \t\tDesigning for, and With, Humans in Mind\t<\/p>\n \n\tThis is not to say that the hype surrounding AI and other innovations is unwarranted. It is not. The promise across nearly all industries is transformational. During disruptive times, we can look toward the design community for hints at how people are feeling and where societal preferences may be heading. From a human perspective, there is noticeable tech-fatigue, which is pushing people toward a sense of comfort and community.<\/p>\n \n\tFor example, platforms like Pinterest are layering in the optionality to \u201ctune down<\/a>\u201d the amount of AI content being displayed for weary consumers.<\/p>\n \n\tEach year, Pantone (a Monotype partner) releases its highly anticipated Pantone Color of the Year, which is informed by the collective mood, temperature and trends of the surrounding culture. Pantone Color of the Year 2026, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer,was a departure from the recent past, with the team heavily leaning on our collective desire for clarity, peace and space to think, create and connect.<\/p>\n \n\tAs we move into a future where AI is ubiquitous, more of the content, brands and creations we encounter will likely be derived in part or entirely by this technology. While human-led design may drive less of the overall experience, the demand for such work will grow considerably. In its recent design trends report, Kittl, a design platform and Monotype partner, highlighted \u201cnaive design<\/a>\u201d as a prominent form of design in the year ahead. \u201cChildlike. Perfectly imperfect. Blissfully human.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJust like the people behind the work we love.<\/p>\n \t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n \n\tNone of us can pretend to know what the next year (or ten years) will look like. But one thing is clear: In a world increasingly crafted by artificial means, there is a powerful and growing demand for genuine, human, connected experiences.<\/p>\n \n\tProductivity is a powerful outcome of this new technology. Yet business leaders who only focus on efficiency will miss the opportunity to design a truly compelling and prosperous future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cEfficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.\u201d This quote is attributed to Peter Drucker,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258746,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[18,133709,19,17,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-258745","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-hyper-efficiency","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-technology"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115810755219572364","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}