Instead of using productivity gains to create more free time, companies can use them to raise expectations. What a shorter workweek would really requireAI could still support shorter working hours, but technology alone will not make that happen. Companies would need to decide that productivity gains should be shared with employees rather than used only to increase output. A choice between efficiency and exhaustionThe debate around AI and working hours is more complicated than the promise of “work less with AI.” If productivity gains are converted into shorter schedules, better flexibility, and more meaningful work, the technology could deliver the freedom it was supposed to create.