AI Use in Workplaces Causing ‘Brain Fry’

Researchers from Boston Consulting Group and the University of California found that excessive use and oversight of artificial intelligence in the workplace is producing what they call “AI brain fry.” A study of nearly 1,500 full-time US workers found 14% reported mental fatigue from interacting with or overseeing AI beyond their cognitive capacity, describing a “mental hangover” with a “fog” or “buzzing,” headaches, slower decision-making and difficulty focusing.

Marketing and HR workers reported the highest levels of this strain. AI vendors have promoted the technology as a productivity booster, and some companies now measure AI use as a performance metric. Crypto exchange Coinbase’s CEO Brian Armstrong has said he fired engineers who didn’t want to use AI and set a goal to have AI generate half of the platform’s code.

“As enterprises use more multi-agent systems, employees find themselves toggling between more tools,” the researchers wrote.

United States

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