Active users of artificial intelligence face an increased risk of professional burnout

AI Technologies: They won’t “remove” people from jobs, but they can cause burnout

Optimists who believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will help people work more efficiently argue that it will not deprive employees of jobs. In their view, AI speeds up task completion and increases overall competence. However, a study by American scientists shows that such productivity growth may lead to an increased risk of burnout.

What the Berkeley study showed
- Methodology: The researchers conducted eight months of observation in a tech company with 200 employees.
- Data collection: More than 40 “in‑depth” interviews with workers who actively use AI in their work.

Key findings
Employees did not feel pressure from management. Workers themselves began taking on more tasks thanks to AI capabilities. Work volume increases, but the time available for completion remains the same. Tasks are shifted into lunch breaks and late evenings; to-do lists grow. Every free hour “charged” by AI is filled with new tasks. A person does not shorten their workday but simply continues working as much or even more.

> “You thought that thanks to increased productivity with AI you could reduce your working time. In reality, you work just as long or even longer,” one engineer explained.

Additional research
Study | Main result | Summer study on developers using AI | Experienced programmers spent 19 % more time on tasks but felt they completed them 20 % faster. Project evaluating time savings when working with AI | Productivity gains led to only a 3 % time saving; the impact was negligible for salary or labor costs across professions.

Conclusion
The Berkeley study confirms that AI indeed allows more work to be done in the same period. But it can become a cause of “fatigue” and burnout: workers increasingly find it hard to detach from tasks, especially when company expectations for speed and responsiveness grow.

Takeaway: The technology itself will not remove people from jobs, but without proper load management it can lead to emotional exhaustion.