Can AI give us back our time? Experts debate at Barcelona's Time Use Week

The Time Use Week began on Monday in Barcelona with a central debate around this year's key question: Can artificial intelligence help us have more time?

With the rapid advancement of technology and the growing challenges of time management, AI could become either a powerful ally -or a potential threat- to better time use. 

To explore this question, the forum, one of Catalonia's most prestigious platforms for time policy discussions, gathered over 30 experts from various fields.

Their mission: to examine how AI might transform the way we work, rest, and care for ourselves and others. 

"Most of us suffer from schedule discomfort, the constant feeling of not having enough time. AI opens a horizon of hope that should allow us to dedicate more time to what's essential in life: care, sleep, and the things that make us happy," said Marta Junqué, director of the Time Use Week. 

The main goal of the forum is to find solutions to current problems related to time, particularly time poverty, the lack of time for oneself.

Organizers point out that between 20% and 30% of workers do not have enough time for themselves, their households, or their personal lives. This situation, they warn, has "far-reaching effects" on mental health. 

"We have before us an opportunity to make technological progress a tool to democratize time and care, and to build more just, sustainable, and cohesive communities," added Javier Silva from the Barcelona Provincial Council. 

The impact on productivity is also significant. According to the program, structural sleep deprivation leads to estimated GDP losses of 1% to 2% in many countries. 

Now, the growing power and accessibility of AI appear as one possible solution: reducing working hours and giving people back more personal time. 

"Time poverty has a woman's face. On average, women dedicate nearly double the time that men do to household tasks and unpaid care work, which limits their participation in employment, education, and community life," said Olga Morales from the Barcelona Metropolitan Authority (AMB). 

Regulate or deregulate? What's best for citizens?

Regulating AI has been a central topic of discussion in recent months, with the EU and the US taking radically different approaches.

Anna Ginès, professor at URL–Esade, highlighted during one of the first roundtables the risks of unregulated AI in the workplace, noting that it can often "intensify work" rather than lighten it.

"Working at an accelerated pace does not have a positive impact on employees. It increases accidents and injuries, as well as psychosocial risks. Working eight hours talking to a chatbot cannot be beneficial," she explained.

Ginès added that AI is currently making work more unpredictable, when it should be doing the opposite, offering greater stability, a key element for a healthy work-life balance.

"In the EU, AI has already been regulated, while in the US the debate is still ongoing. The European law mainly limits high-risk systems, those used for predictive decisions that could infringe on people’s rights," she said.

Meanwhile, Ana María Tribin Uribe, senior economist at the World Bank, defended the potential of AI as a driver of positive change.

"AI has brought a revolution into many homes. Many women use it for domestic tasks, organizing, budgeting, or managing household needs. In fact, most ChatGPT uses are not work-related but connected to home management, especially among people with low and middle incomes,” she noted.

According to Tribin, AI represents a powerful tool for "democratizing access to information" and promoting greater "well-being and equality."

Natalia Olson-Urtecho, former innovation advisor in the Barack Obama administration, expressed support for the US approach of not heavily regulating AI.

"AI is shaping work in a different way, but it also creates opportunities for new jobs. When social media started, we had social media directors; when the internet began, people designed websites. The application world created new roles. Reskilling programs at every age are key," she said.

Olson-Urtecho emphasized that the government’s role should be to act as a "catalyst" to help move the workforce toward "better jobs."

Xosé Carlos Arias, professor of Economic Politics at Vigo University, highlighted the opportunities AI offers while cautioning against its "uncontrolled" use.

"Artificial intelligence brings many advantages: it promises more direct, participatory democracy and can make life easier and more pleasant. But if it is not controlled, the same forces that benefit most from it, the technoligarchs, will drive it in the opposite direction," he said.