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Axios
Axios
Technology
Rebecca Falconer

Jack Ma: AI could enable a 12-hour work week

Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma (L) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China, Thursday. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma told the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai Thursday that artificial intelligence should enable people to work 4 hours a day, 3 days a week, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: It's a remarkable demonstration of Ma's faith in AI, given he's endorsed the Chinese tech sector's standard "996" schedule, which consists of a 72-hour workweek: 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week.


The big picture: Ma appeared onstage at the event with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with whom he had a disagreement on whether humans can be outsmarted by computers.

Go deeper: America's work-life balance isn't so great

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