Tech Workers Are Spending Their Free Time Learning AI After Work

One night time after work in Dublin, Maahir Sharma watched an AI agent that he constructed name resorts in america and negotiate room charges on his behalf.

The venture wasn’t a part of his job. It was certainly one of many AI experiments he pursues exterior work to remain present in an trade being reshaped by AI.

Sharma, a software program engineer at a Huge Tech firm, says AI has dramatically increased his productivity, serving to him full some duties in days that when took months. However he additionally spends about 20 hours per week exterior of labor experimenting with AI instruments like Cursor, a coding assistant he pays for out of pocket.

“I believe experimentation with AI is essential,” stated the 24-year-old. “If you do not have hands-on expertise, it could possibly be troublesome to outlive within the trade.”

Sharma is among the many tech staff who say AI’s rise is creating an sudden tradeoff. The expertise helps them save time at work, but it surely’s costing them time after work, as they attempt to maintain tempo with quickly evolving instruments and abilities. An Ernst & Younger survey of greater than 1,000 US desk staff throughout six industries carried out final yr discovered that 85% had been studying the right way to use AI exterior of labor.

For a lot of staff, the after-hours experimentation is fueled as a lot by curiosity within the expertise as by a want to stay aggressive. Meta and Microsoft have provided multimillion-dollar compensation packages to top AI talent at the same time as each companies have laid off 1000’s of staff lately. Hiring for AI engineers on LinkedIn has surged since 2022, whereas hiring for a lot of conventional engineering roles has remained flat or declined, based on knowledge shared with Enterprise Insider.

The brand new AI homework

In early 2025, Tanvi Pisal started to fret that AI could possibly be coming for her job.

Pisal, then a product designer at an AI healthcare startup in San Jose, stated an organization management summit underscored how shortly AI was advancing, elevating considerations that some UX and product design duties may finally be automated.

She determined to begin increasing her AI abilities and exploring different alternatives, however final October, she was laid off. An e mail accompanying the cuts stated they had been tied to the corporate’s speedy adoption of AI.

At this time, Pisal, now a UX design contractor for a Big Tech company, spends 10 to fifteen hours per week exterior work studying about AI, together with experimenting with instruments and attending workshops. She has additionally spent lots of of {dollars} on AI instruments and workshops, together with subscriptions to ChatGPT and Claude.

“If I do not spend just a few hours over the weekend catching up on updates, experimenting with instruments, or studying about what’s new, I begin falling behind,” stated Pisal, who’s 29 and lives in San Jose.

Whereas some staff level to gaps in AI training, others stated time is the larger constraint. Regardless of utilizing AI extensively on the job, many stated their day-to-day obligations go away restricted time to discover the rising variety of AI instruments and fashions. The problem is not simply maintaining with the instruments they want at work immediately, however understanding which of them could matter tomorrow.

Nonetheless, not all tech staff really feel strain to study AI after hours.

Manoj Aggarwal, a lead engineer at a big software program firm, spends a few hours per week exterior work experimenting with AI instruments and about $60 a month on subscriptions. He stated his employer gives entry to lots of the newest AI instruments, permitting him to develop AI abilities on the job. A lot of his studying and experimentation occurs after his younger daughter falls asleep.

Udit Mehrotra, a head of product at Amazon, spends roughly 5 to seven hours per week exterior work experimenting with AI. He stated that final December, he constructed 10 apps in a couple of month, working evenings and weekends with Claude Code as his major assistant. In current months, nevertheless, he is tried to method the educational in a extra sustainable approach.

“I’ve come to consider this much less like a dash and extra like a marathon,” stated Mehrotra, who’s in his 30s and lives in Seattle.

An Amazon spokesperson stated in a press release that the corporate gives staff with AI coaching and studying sources, together with an inner hub that helps staff establish AI instruments related to their work. The spokesperson stated Amazon encourages staff to experiment with AI as a part of their day-to-day work.

For some, the tempo of change within the trade has made one thing nearer to a dash really feel like the most suitable choice.

Abhinav Bohra, a senior utilized scientist at Amazon primarily based in Seattle, spends roughly eight to 12 hours per week exterior work maintaining with AI. He stated he spent about $3,000 over the previous yr on AI instruments, convention charges, {and professional} memberships.

“Steady studying has quietly change into a part of the job, even when it occurs exterior the job,” stated the 32-year-old.

A lot of Bohra’s AI studying occurs on evenings and weekends as a result of his workday is consumed by conferences and deliverables. The outcome, he stated, is a “studying tax” that blurs the road between skilled improvement and private time.

“The priority is not that one AI instrument will substitute me in a single day,” he stated. “The larger concern is turning into technically stale in a subject the place the baseline is continually shifting.”

Do you will have a narrative to share about the way you’re navigating a profession crossroads? In that case, please attain out to the reporter by way of e mail at jzinkula@businessinsider.com, or by way of Sign at jzinkula.29.