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[ARTICLE · art-86452] src=news.ycombinator.com ↗ pub= topic=ai-policy verified=true sentiment=· neutral

Ask HN: Can we direct AI on our personal projects during work hours?

A Hacker News user asked whether it is acceptable to use work hours to send instructions to AI systems working on personal projects, noting that AI tasks can take an hour or more. The post questions employer policies, legal standards, work-product rules, and differences between hourly and salaried workers. The discussion has 2 points and 1 comment.

read1 min views1 publishedAug 4, 2026

So here's the question I wanted to pose around AI usage. With modern advanced AI, much of the time, using AI consists of sending a message a waiting a long time (often an hour or more) before the AI finishes a task.

Which I think brings up an important question, is it okay to take short work breaks to send instructions to AI working on your personal projects during work hours?

Do any employers have policies around this? And how does it interact with legal standards?

Are the rules around work-product well suited to the modern AI age?

Does it matter if I'm hourly vs salaried?

Should we do the same thing for work (asking work AI to do things occasionally during personal time)?

Comments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49171630](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49171630)

Points: 2

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