Artificial intelligence’s rapid development in 2025 accelerated feelings of anxiety about the future—with worries about shrinking entry-level opportunities, rising electricity costs to power sprawling data centers, and whether an AI-fueled bubble could destabilize the economy.
But alongside those concerns came a more hopeful idea: that technology could turbocharge productivity so much so that the traditional five-day, 9-to-5 workweek may no longer make sense. And it’s just not burnt-out employees floating the idea of skipping work on Fridays. Some of the world’s most influential business leaders have publicly suggested the shift may be inevitable.
