The first signs of burnout are coming from the people who embrace AI the most
AI promised to free up your time, but new research shows it's doing the opposite.
Deep Dive
A new study published in Harvard Business Review reveals a counterintuitive effect of workplace AI. Researchers observed a tech company where employees enthusiastically adopted AI tools. Instead of working less, people's to-do lists expanded to fill the time saved, leading to work bleeding into breaks and evenings. The tools made more work feel possible, so employees simply did more, increasing stress and burnout without a proportional rise in productivity.
Why It Matters
This challenges the core promise of AI as a labor-saving tool, showing it may intensify work culture instead.