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Ethan Mollick put forward a judgment: voice interfaces in AI applications may finally be able to end the "monster" that is the open-plan office, or they may simply make it worse. Citing his own research, he pointed out that multiple experiments show that background noise in open-plan offices reduces the ability to do analytical work, increases software bugs, and weakens the ability to find bugs. This judgment was published on October 21, 2026, and there are currently no subsequent developments.
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Ethan Mollick: Voice interfaces may put an end to the open officeDevelopments
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Ethan Mollick suggests voice interfaces may end or worsen open-plan offices
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Oct 21
Ethan Mollick
Ethan Mollick: Voice interfaces may put an end to the open office
Ethan Mollick believes that voice interfaces in AI applications may finally put an end to the "monster" that is the open office—or may simply make it worse. Citing his own research, he points out that multiple experiments show that background noise in open offices reduces the ability to do analytical work, increases software bugs, and weakens the ability to find bugs.