Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gradually become a part of almost every profession. From coding developers to accountants, marketing professionals, and managers, many people rely on AI tools for their everyday work. Often, the same person uses different AI platforms. This makes work faster and easier, but it can also have long-term effects on the brain. A recent study published in Harvard Business Review sheds light on this issue. In the study, 1,488 US employees were questioned about the use of AI in their work and its impact on the brain.
What is AI brain fry?
During the study, researchers identified a new problem they called “AI brain fry.” This means that when a person constantly manages and monitors multiple AI tools, his brain starts feeling extremely tired. About 14 percent of the people surveyed said that they felt mental fatigue due to continuous use of AI. Some participants reported feeling a slight buzzing in their heads, difficulty concentrating, delays in taking decisions and headaches.
Is this like normal burnout?
AI brain fry is considered different from traditional burnout. In normal burnout, a person becomes emotionally exhausted and starts having negative feelings about work. However, the reason for AI brain fry is different. This is primarily related to the extra burden on the brain that comes with managing and monitoring multiple AI systems simultaneously. This is the reason why it is often not detected even in common burnout surveys.
Which jobs have been most affected?
Research also revealed that its effect is not the same on all professions. This problem was highest among marketing employees, where about 26 percent reported experiencing AI brain fry. After this there were Human Resources (HR) and Operations employees. Interestingly, software developers, who use AI tools the most, were at number four on the list.
Fatigue from management rather than work
Many participants said that the real fatigue comes not from work, but from managing AI tools. One engineer said that by the end of the day, he was more exhausted from managing the work than from the work itself. Often, it was very tiring to constantly switch between different tools and double-check everything.
increased risk of job loss
The research also found that employees who experienced AI brain-fry had a 33 percent higher risk of decision fatigue. This increases the chances of making bad decisions and making mistakes, big or small. Additionally, people who felt more pressure from AI were more likely to leave their jobs.
Proper use of AI is also beneficial
However, research also made it clear that AI does not always have bad effects. When AI was used to reduce repetitive or boring tasks, employees felt less stressed. These people also talked about increased interest in work and better cooperation. From this it is clear that the impact of AI depends on how and in what quantity it is being used.