AI fatigue.
Also known as: AI exhaustion
Being mentally worn out by AI. The constant new tools, model updates, and headlines, along with the effort of directing AI, checking its work, and reading what it produces all day. Research published in 2026 has described a sharper version as “brain fry”: mental fog and the feeling of having worked hard without being sure what you actually did. AI fatigue is different from AI anxiety, which is worry about what AI means for you. AI fatigue is being tired of it, and by it.
In the wild
“When Using AI Leads to ‘Brain Fry’”
Seen here: Harvard Business Review, March 2026
For AI users
Remember that this is a thing, and take breaks. Not every task needs AI, and it’s fine to do something slowly and manually. If directing and checking AI is leaving you tired, look at which parts of your work it is actually helping with and where you might want to do the thinking yourself. See Cognitive offloading too.
For business leaders
Watch for burnout or lack of engagement in your heaviest AI users, not only in the people who are reluctant to try it. If people are mentally worn out by using AI, it can affect their engagement, their work, and potentially whether they want to stay. Think about the quality of the output too. A tired team may have less attention for judgement and creative work, or may start clicking “yes” to repeated requests without checking properly. See Approval fatigue. Research has found an association between AI fatigue and lower engagement with AI, although the longer-term effects still need study.