Tampere University and the University of Jyväskylä explore the AI-powered future of work – new solutions to relieve technostress and enhance productivity

Business Finland has awarded Co-Research funding for the Meaningful Digital Evolution (MDE) project for a two-year period beginning on 1 August 2025. The project involves research groups from Tampere University and the University of Jyväskylä, five technology companies and two technical communication societies.

The project aims to improve our understanding of how AI is reshaping the world of work, from the emergence of new work processes and professions to the integration of technologies such as extended reality (XR) with AI in future work environments. 

In addition, the project will explore how technostress – arising from the challenges of adapting to new technologies – and the fragmentation of work affect specialist roles, while also developing solutions to support employee well-being and foster more meaningful work experiences.

Harnessing AI to improve productivity

The researchers believe that the MDE project will significantly impact everyday work by unlocking the potential of AI in ways that are both productive and aligned with employees’ needs. 

“The increasing use of AI in the workplace can make some employees feel threatened, leading to heightened stress levels. Our project addresses these concerns from a human-centred perspective: the key is to consider people’s expectations, attitudes, user experiences and accessibility. Especially from the perspective of accessibility, AI has the potential to open up entirely new roles for a wide range of people,” says Professor of Interactive Technology Markku Turunen from Tampere University.

According to Turunen, it is important to understand not only the role of individuals but also the role of internal processes and working methods within organisations in the adoption of new technologies. 

“New technologies are often developed in isolation, without considering how they align with existing organisational processes. As a result, the potential impact of the technologies remains limited, and, in many cases, bottlenecks emerge that hinder their adoption. To address this issue, the MDE project places a strong emphasis on understanding organisational processes. The greatest productivity gains are achieved when these processes are adapted to fully harness the potential of new technologies. In the MDE project, we examine both of these perspectives,” says Turunen.

Towards a better world of work in the digital age 

In addition to Professor Turunen, the MDE project is co-led by Adjunct Professor in Technical Communication Jenni Virtaluoto from the University of Jyväskylä.

The project was born from the observation that a considerable portion of employees’ time is spent navigating and managing a variety of information systems. This reduces their ability to focus on core tasks and diminishes the sense of meaning in their work. 

“Research shows that technostress and the fragmentation of work are common challenges among employees in specialist roles. As the risk of errors increases particularly in routine tasks that require concentration, AI could step in to take over these repetitive duties. After all, few of us genuinely enjoy copying data from one system to another!” says Virtaluoto. 

“AI is increasingly becoming part of our work processes, but the question is: how can we integrate AI without it becoming just another system we struggle with every day? These are the challenges we are tackling in the MDE project. We are working towards a better digital working environment where specialists can focus on their core tasks. We believe this will enhance both employee well-being and workplace productivity,” she concludes.