Research Reveals Excessive AI Use Triggers Mental Fatigue

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has long been promoted as a means to make human work faster and more efficient. However, a recent study has found that overly intense use of AI can actually trigger mental fatigue.

This phenomenon is known as “AI brain fry”, a condition of cognitive exhaustion caused by excessively frequent interaction with various AI tools that exceed the brain’s cognitive capacity.

The findings were presented in research published recently in Harvard Business Review (HBR).

The term “brain fry” refers to a condition in which a person feels mentally overwhelmed by the need to continuously manage multiple AI tools, process vast quantities of information, and switch between tasks in short timeframes.

Previously, HBR also introduced the term “AI slop” or “workslop”, a combination of the words “work” and “slop” (rubbish). This term is used to describe the flooding of low-quality content or work that instead adds to the workload.

The results showed that some workers who use AI intensively experience various symptoms of mental fatigue, such as difficulty focusing, feeling overwhelmed by information, and making decisions more slowly.

Of nearly 1,500 respondents surveyed, approximately 14 per cent reported experiencing the condition known as “brain fry”.

The highest percentage was found among workers in marketing, software development, human resources, finance, and information technology sectors.

Julie Bedard, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group and author of the study, said the findings serve as an early warning to companies that are overly optimistic about productivity gains from AI.

“AI can develop very rapidly, but we still have the same brain as we did yesterday,” Bedard said.

According to her, the findings indicate that expectations regarding productivity improvements from AI may need to be reassessed.

The research also found a paradox in AI use in the workplace. On one hand, AI can help reduce stress when used to handle routine or repetitive work.