Using too many AI tools at once can actually make you less productive and cause 'brain fry,' study finds

"We look at this as kind of the canary in the coal mine. Those engineers that are the early adopters, that are doing the multi-agent orchestration are experiencing this effect, more and more people are trying to move up to that level."

"I had one tool helping me weigh technical decisions, another spitting out drafts and summaries, and I kept bouncing between them, double-checking every little thing. But instead of moving faster, my brain just started to feel cluttered. Not physically tired, just... crowded."

"Employees who go from one to two AI tools simultaneously experience a significant increase in productivity. But the increase is smaller when they go from two to three tools, and then it decreases from three onward, illustrating that multitasking can have its limits."

Boston Consulting Group researchers identified a phenomenon termed 'AI brain fry' among workers using AI tools, manifesting as mental fog, headaches, and slower decision-making. A Harvard Business Review study surveying 1,488 U.S. workers found that while AI tools enhance productivity, excessive use creates diminishing returns. Productivity increases significantly when employees use one to two AI tools simultaneously, but gains plateau from two to three tools and decline beyond three. Early adopters managing multiple AI agents experience this effect most acutely. The research suggests companies must balance AI tool implementation with worker cognitive capacity to maintain effectiveness.

Read at Business Insider