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3mo ago

Studies Find AI at Work Is Raising Busywork and Triggering ‘Brain Fry’

Researchers report acute mental fatigue from managing multiple tools.

Workers who use AI are spending up to 346% more time on their daily tasks, from messaging to business management: “The data is unambiguous: AI does not reduce workloads.”
“AI brain fry” is a result of “excessive use or oversight of AI tools beyond one’s cognitive capacity,” according to researchers.
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Overview

  • Boston Consulting Group, writing in Harvard Business Review, labels an acute mental fog from overseeing AI agents as “AI brain fry.”
  • The study ties the phenomenon to more employee errors, decision fatigue, and a higher intention to quit, with symptoms often easing after breaks.
  • Self-reported efficiency improved for workers using up to three AI tools but dropped sharply once a fourth tool was added.
  • ActivTrak’s analysis of 10,584 users found routine tasks expanded after AI adoption, including email up 104%, messaging up 145%, and business-tool use up 94%, with no category showing time savings.
  • ActivTrak also reported a 9% decline in average focused-session length and a 2% drop in focused hours, and said productivity peaked when AI use occupied about 7%–10% of work time.