Research Summary: AI-Driven Feedback Systems, Digital Labour, and Silent Quitting: Transforming African Workplaces

The digitalization trend is reshaping work organization and performance management globally. In African organizations, the increasing adoption of remote and hybrid work models, coupled with AI-driven feedback systems, is making "silent quitting" a more relevant phenomenon. This research investigates the impact of AI tools, such as sentiment analysis, pulse surveys, chatbots, and engagement dashboards, on employee disengagement characterized by minimal effort and emotional withdrawal.

Why it matters

The proliferation of AI-driven feedback systems and digital work models directly impacts workforce engagement and productivity, particularly in rapidly digitalizing economies. Understanding the mechanisms linking these technologies to phenomena like 'silent quitting' is crucial for maintaining organizational effectiveness and fostering a motivated workforce.

Key insights

• Digitalization has fundamentally altered work organization and performance measurement globally.
• AI is increasingly utilized for managing labor, performance, and internal communication.
• African organizations are seeing increased adoption of remote work, hybrid models, and digital collaboration.
• Data-based HR management is becoming common in African workplaces.
• "Silent quitting," defined as worker disengagement without effort or emotion, is increasingly relevant in these digitalized African contexts.
• The paper specifically investigates the role of AI-driven feedback mechanisms (e.g., sentiment analysis, pulse surveys, chatbots, engagement dashboards) in relation to silent quitting.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.16192