In conversations every day, I'm hearing this same duality.

The opportunity with AI is real. You can feel it. But we're starting to see the other side too.

People are tired.

And researchers from BCG just gave that experience a name: AI Brain Fry.

In a study of nearly 1500 full time US based professionals, they found two primary drivers leading to what is described as the cognitive overload associated with AI: that "buzzing" mental fog paired with a difficulty focusing, slower decisions, and headaches.

The two main drivers were:

1) AI Oversight: The extent to which AI tools required direct monitoring.

2) Workload: The extent to which AI increased workload, through managing more tools.

What they found is worth paying attention to.

High AI oversight was linked to 14% more mental effort and 12% more mental fatigue.

Workers experiencing "AI brain fry" - defined in the study as: mental fatigue that results from excessive use of, interaction with, and/or oversight of AI tools beyond one’s cognitive capacity - reported 33% more decision fatigue.

Honestly, this tracks.

Because AI is not always reducing work. That may be the promise, but it's also changing the kind of work people do.

We're still so early in the AI-implementation change curve, that leaders and employees are inventing the playbook in real time.

That also counts as work.

That's why I keep coming back to the same idea:

Capacity is the real constraint.

Not just time.
Not just effort.

The ability to think clearly.
- To make good decisions.
- To stay steady under pressure.
- To do quality work without constantly feeling mentally flooded.

That’s why I don’t think the AI conversation is just about productivity.

And is exactly one of the reasons I keep coming back to capacity as such an important leadership conversation right now.

We don't just need more tools.

We need better conditions for humans to use those tools well.

That means designing work in a way that protects judgment, attention, and recovery, not just speed.

Warmly,
Alison

PS - I’d love to hear whether you’re seeing this too. Reply here and share what feels true in your world.

When Burnout Looks Like Productivity: The New Risk to Innovation Capacity

My paper with Bentley University's Center for Health and Business is out next week, and explores a simple but important idea:

People can still look productive while the underlying conditions for clear thinking, strong decisions, and sustainable innovation are eroding.

We looked at:

• how workplace conditions shape overload and burnout

• the relationship between burnout and innovation

• how to understand the difference between visible effort and real capacity

Publish Date: April 6, 2026: https://www.getunburnt.com/research