According to researchers from the Boston Consulting Group and the University of California, excessive exploit and supervision of artificial intelligence tools in the workplace can cause “AI brain frying.”
Workers using artificial intelligence tools say the technology “intensifies rather than simplifies work,” researchers say he wrote on Friday in the Harvard Business Review.
The study, which surveyed nearly 1,500 full-time U.S. workers, found that 14% said they had experienced “mental fatigue resulting from excessive use of, interactions with, and/or supervision of AI tools beyond cognitive capacity,” or what the researchers called “AI fry.”
Respondents described a “mental hangover” with “fog” or “buzzing” and the inability to think clearly, as well as headaches, slower decision-making and difficulty concentrating.
Artificial intelligence companies promote their products as productivity enhancers that allow employees to relieve some or all of their job responsibilities, a message that some companies have embraced and started measuring the exploit of artificial intelligence as a performance metric.
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said he fired engineers who didn’t want to exploit AI, and slow last year set a goal for AI to generate half of the platform’s code.
“As enterprises use more multi-agent systems, employees must switch between more tools,” the researchers wrote. “Despite promises that we will have more time to focus on meaningful work, juggling and multitasking may become the ultimate hallmarks of working with AI.”
Artificial intelligence carries “significant costs” but could reduce burnout
The researchers said AI-induced mental strain “carries significant costs in the form of increased employee errors, decision fatigue, and desire to quit.”
Study respondents who said they ate brain fry experienced 33% more decision fatigue compared to those who didn’t, which researchers say can cost vast companies millions of dollars a year. People with AI fry were also about 40% more likely to have an vigorous intention to quit smoking.
People reporting AI fry also self-reported making almost 40% more sedate errors than those who did not, with a sedate error defined as one that has “serious consequences, such as those that could affect safety, performance, or important decisions.”
However, researchers have found that using artificial intelligence to replace repetitive and routine tasks reduces burnout – a state of chronic stress in the workplace that leads to negative feelings about work and reduced effectiveness.
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Respondents who used AI to reduce time spent on routine and repetitive tasks reported that their burnout levels were 15% lower compared to respondents who did not exploit AI in this way.
Researchers said company leaders who want to limit their exposure to AI should “clearly define the purpose of AI in the organization” and explain how workloads will change with the tool.
Companies should also stick to “measurable outcomes” when it comes to AI, as “encouraging frequent use will lead to waste, low-quality work, and unnecessary mental strain.”
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