Researchers warn of AI ‘brain fry’ from too much bot use

AI can raise productivity, though overuse may trigger mental fatigue that impairs focus and decision-making, according to a new study published in Harvard Business Review.

While artificial intelligence is often marketed as a tool to reduce workload, a recent Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study of 1,488 US workers found that intensive AI use actually decreases workers’ productivity.

Dubbed “AI brain fry,” researchers defined it as “mental fatigue from excessive use or oversight of AI tools beyond one’s cognitive capacity.”

The survey found that using one, two, or three AI tools simultaneously can boost efficiency; however, performance scores begin to decline after the fourth tool is introduced.

Workers reported a “buzzing” sensation or mental fog, leading to a 33% increase in decision fatigue.

It was also found that when AI replaces repetitive tasks, burnout scores actually drop by 15%.

Overall, the BCG study suggests that managing AI is a job in itself, and that, rather than freeing up time for strategic thinking, overseeing a large number of bots often leads to mental exhaustion.

Studies on increasing AI “workslop,” and recent Amazon outages due to bugs in AI-generated code point to the human productivity lost due to bots.

Nevertheless, companies are ramping up AI adoption at lightning speed. Leaders are encouraged to shift metrics from sheer AI activity to actual impact and to recognize human attention as a finite, exhaustible resource.