In the future, global companies will switch to a 12-hour work week. This assumption was expressed by the founder and head of Alibaba Jack Ma, quoted by Bloomberg. The businessman believes that most of the work for employees can be performed by artificial intelligence.
Ma is confident that in the future, thanks to advances in technology, people will only need to work three days a week for four hours. Machines can replace workers, for example, in those areas where good memory and the ability to perform repetitive actions are required. At the same time, Ma is confident that artificial intelligence will help people and will not deprive them of their earnings. The businessman believes that in order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to change the educational systems. “If we don’t change our education system, we will all have problems,” he said.
Several months ago, Ma expressed the opposite point of view. Speaking in defense of overtime work, the businessman called it a blessing for young people and emphasized that this is the only way to achieve success. The billionaire admitted that many Alibaba Group employees worked overtime in the early years of the company: six days a week, 12 hours a day.
In mid-August, the Russian Federation of Independent Trade Unions proposed cutting the work week to four days without cutting wages. It is assumed that such a measure can become a means of optimizing the time of work and rest. The government believes that a shorter week will lead to a drop in labor productivity.