Indeed, for me going back to an lts version helped me work around this. Currently on 6.1 and that seems to not have this issue.
I like it, even though I'm not sure if I would call it the GNOME official workflow (is that even a thing?). I usually don't get close to having 10 applications open. I tend to work with about 1 to 3 workspaces with various applications based on my needs. Furthermore, I keep the windows non-maximized which helps me condense more information yone screen
I think that's a pretty good approach. I think it would benefit all to see ChatGPT more like an approximation/guessing machine. It often hits the mark, or even gets really close. Its bigger hallucinations are frequently hilarious.
Chatgpt is not good at these kinds of problems. Heck, any solution and/or answer it gives should be checked manually if you intend to apply it somewhere. It may seem smart most of the time, but you've just hit one of its bigger weaknesses.
I don't think improved performance has ever lead to shorter workdays. So, I'd say it's in favor of employees to keep AI use secret. Shorter workdays comes from legislation, which I guess is created after some kind of protest.
I'm unsure whether a drop-in replacement exists. I use Lawnchair. It doesn't have the newsfeed when swiping left, but if you're okay with changing your flow a bit it could be good (enough) for you. You could create something with widgets (or maybe plugins) that replicate what you currently have.