AI ‘brain fry’ is real: Stress, fatigue, and errors, study shows
Using AI tools at work can make your job faster and easier, but if you use too many AI tools at once and/or rely too much on those AI tools, it can also leave you mentally exhausted.
According to a study published by Harvard Business Review titled “When AI Use Leads to ‘Brain Fried’,” researchers found evidence of a phenomenon they call “brain fried,” which describes a kind of cognitive fatigue or mental exhaustion that comes from using AI, particularly from monitoring and managing AI tools.
In a survey of 1,488 full-time U.S. employees at large companies, across industries, roles, and levels, researchers from the Boston Consulting Group and the University of California, Riverside found that participants who juggled overseeing multiple AI tools spent more mental effort, experienced greater mental fatigue, and were more likely to experience information overload.
However, the researchers also point out that the use of AI can help reduce the risk of burnout when used to automate routine tasks. “Brain fry” occurs primarily with the managerial oversight required when using many AI tools, leading to “an inability to think clearly, like a mental hangover, consisting of difficulty concentrating, slower decision-making, and headaches, forcing many people to physically step away from their computers to “reset.”
According to the study, productivity is proven to decrease once you start using 4 or more AI tools at once. When brains fail, productivity plummets due to the accumulation of decision fatigue, minor errors, stress, and burnout.
