Growing impact of Artificial Intelligence

Nowadays, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral part of our lives. It has gradually joined various professions, such as developers, accountants, marketing experts, and managers, who are using AI in their daily activities. While this makes work more efficient and simpler, it can also have long-term effects on mental health.

Study on mental impact of using AI

A study, published in Harvard Business Review, identified potentially harmful effects of the use of AI. In this research, information was taken from 1,488 American employees about the use of AI in their work and its mental effects.

Concept of AI Brain Fry

The researchers discovered a new problem, which they named ‘AI brain fry’. This means that when a person constantly manages multiple AI tools, he or she may experience mental fatigue. About 14 percent of the participants surveyed reported that they felt mental fatigue due to the continuous use of AI. Some experienced problems such as slight buzzing, difficulty concentrating, delayed decision making and headaches.

The difference between AI brain fry and traditional burnout

AI brain fry is considered different from traditional burnout. In general burnout, the person becomes emotionally exhausted and develops negative feelings towards work. Whereas AI brain fry is mainly to the mental burden that one has to manage multiple AI systems simultaneously. For this reason, this problem is not easily captured in typical burnout surveys.

Positive impact of AI

However, the study also clarified that AI does not always have negative impacts. When AI is used to reduce repetitive or boring tasks, there is less stress among employees. Such individuals experienced more interest in their work and better cooperation. This shows that the impact of AI depends on how and to what extent it is being used.