New behavioral data show that adoption of generative AI tools has so far increased time spent on routine digital tasks rather than reducing workload: an ActivTrak analysis found emailing rose 104 percent, messaging rose 145 percent, and average uninterrupted focus sessions fell 9 percent after AI adoption. Researchers and workplace analysts say AI is generating more peripheral work—prompting, verifying output, coordinating edits and responding to faster cycles of collaboration—so employees and staff, including those in higher-education administration and research offices, are seeing more fractured attention and less deep analytical time. For universities, the findings complicate pitches that AI will free faculty to teach and research more. CIOs and academic leaders should plan for retraining, revised workload models, and changes to academic support services as AI becomes embedded in administrative workflows.