UC Riverside-BCG Study Finds ‘AI Brain Fry’ Affecting 14% of Workers

Boston Consulting Group and the University of California, Riverside define “AI brain fry” as mental fatigue caused by using or supervising AI beyond a person’s cognitive capacity. When companies treat AI solely as a tool to accelerate output without eliminating routine tasks, employees must still review, correct and assess its output, adding to their decision-making burden.

The study, published in Harvard Business Review on March 5, 2026, surveyed 1,488 full-time employees at large U.S. companies. Among AI users, 14% reported “brain fry.” Employees with high levels of AI oversight expended 14% more mental effort, experienced 12% more mental fatigue and 19% more information overload. Their intention to quit was also about 39% higher, close to 40%.