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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re finding yourself exhausted at the end of each day \u2014 mentally depleted, unable to do much more than scroll or stare at Netflix \u2014 you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heavy AI users are increasingly suffering from a phenomenon researchers are calling \u201cbrain fry\u201d \u2014 as one CEO put it<\/a>, it\u2019s not from work itself, but from managing all the work his AI tools are doing on his behalf. \u201cIt\u2019s not burnout in the traditional sense. It\u2019s something weirder \u2014 a kind of cognitive overload masked as productivity,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n I admit I\u2019ve felt this myself. I\u2019ve always made an effort to delegate my busywork, taking care to focus only on the tasks I find intrinsically valuable. But lately, I\u2019ve also seen how easy it can be to fall into a productivity trap \u2014 greater efficiency allows us to take on more projects, dividing our attention like never before.\u00a0<\/p>\n All this multitasking is taking its toll. But the solution isn\u2019t necessarily to scale back on AI tools, but think strategically about how it can genuinely lighten your load versus pile on your overworked brain. Here\u2019s how.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the things I love about AI is how it has democratized startups. As a bootstrapped solopreneur, I\u2019ve never believed a great idea needs VC money to turn into a viable business. This has never been truer than it is today. Even non-programmers can get a startup off the ground on their own, no coding background required.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not only can generative AI serve as an early support team, but it also streamlines cumbersome tasks that take huge amounts of time. Drafting a contract used to mean either paying a lawyer or spending a weekend wrestling with templates. Now it takes minutes. The same goes for writing marketing copy, summarizing a stack of customer feedback or putting together a pitch deck. The barrier to entry has been dramatically lowered, and that\u2019s a good thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n The problem is how we spend our newly unlocked time. I\u2019m all for productivity \u2014 I hate busywork so much that I wrote an entire book<\/a> about how to automate it. AI agents in particular have dramatically changed the landscape, working autonomously to complete the routine tasks that once took up hours of our days. The results have been incredible \u2014 I now have systems built to simplify all of my most tedious tasks, leaving me the freedom to focus on other things.\u00a0<\/p>\n But researchers from BCG and the University of California have identified<\/a> a new problem. AI agents are not perfect, and they need oversight to verify they\u2019re staying on track. They\u2019re calling the cognitive cost to overseeing so many agents \u201cbrain fry,\u201d which they define as \u201cmental fatigue from excessive use or oversight of AI tools beyond one\u2019s cognitive capacity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n I get it. Plenty of companies are pressuring their employees to become tireless AI taskmasters, even tying performance metrics to how many lines of code are AI-generated. But the problem isn\u2019t AI itself \u2014 it\u2019s how it\u2019s being deployed. And it\u2019s up to leaders to ensure that teams are using it to their advantage, giving them more mental space, not less.<\/p>\n At my company, Jotform, we\u2019ve proudly embraced the AI revolution. Online forms are well-suited to benefit from AI\u2019s abilities, and we\u2019ve released a number of products (such as AI App Builder<\/a>) designed to make our customers\u2019 lives easier. And our teams use them too \u2014 which, in my opinion, is the best way to know that they work.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even so, we established a set of best practices for AI use early on, which I think has helped keep brain fry at bay. Here\u2019s how we\u2019re approaching it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n One thing we\u2019ve been deliberate about is not letting AI do our thinking for us. While it\u2019s important for teams to experiment with new tools, human creativity should always remain at the forefront. Generative AI can absolutely serve as a collaborator and sounding board, but at the end of the day, there needs to be a person steering the ship.\u00a0<\/p>\n To me, AI\u2019s most important role is eliminating busywork. For us, that means using AI for tasks like taming an unruly inbox, summarizing meeting notes and acting as a thought partner when brainstorming new ideas. It doesn\u2019t mean outsourcing our thinking or creativity.<\/p>\n The researchers found that when limited to this purpose, the problem of brain fry is kept at bay.\u00a0<\/p>\n When it comes to their AI use, your employees should not feel like they\u2019re in the Wild West. Leaders should codify best practices and make sure every employee understands when to use AI tools and how.\u00a0<\/p>\n Clear directives on AI not only keep your company and its data safe, it keeps employees from feeling overwhelmed and confused. At Jotform, we make sure AI use is transparent, and that everyone understands which tasks are off-limits to it entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n I am, and always will be, a big believer in the power of rest. Many of my best ideas and breakthroughs have come to me not while I\u2019m poring over my laptop, but amid the olive groves on my family\u2019s farm in Turkey.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brain fry is a symptom of the mental drain of overseeing too many agents, and that\u2019s a problem: AI is making it possible to do more with less, but those gains are not infinite. People need rest, and the best leaders know this. Protect your teams\u2019 downtime, and make sure they understand your expectations of their output.\u00a0<\/p>\n Burnout thrives in ambiguity. By all means, encourage your teams to use AI. But make your expectations clear, your processes transparent and your boundaries firm.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If you\u2019re finding yourself exhausted at the end of each day \u2014 mentally depleted, unable to do much more than scroll or stare at Netflix \u2014 you\u2019re not alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Heavy AI users are increasingly suffering from a phenomenon researchers are calling \u201cbrain fry\u201d \u2014 as one CEO put it<\/a>, it\u2019s not from work itself, but from managing all the work his AI tools are doing on his behalf. \u201cIt\u2019s not burnout in the traditional sense. It\u2019s something weirder \u2014 a kind of cognitive overload masked as productivity,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n I admit I\u2019ve felt this myself. I\u2019ve always made an effort to delegate my busywork, taking care to focus only on the tasks I find intrinsically valuable. But lately, I\u2019ve also seen how easy it can be to fall into a productivity trap \u2014 greater efficiency allows us to take on more projects, dividing our attention like never before.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe limits of efficiency\u00a0<\/h2>\n
How leaders can help<\/h2>\n
Don\u2019t outsource your deep work<\/h3>\n
Establish ground rules and guardrails<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t expect productivity to infinitely scale<\/h3>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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