Burnout by Proxy: Is AI Pushing Us to Keep Up With Its Own Speed?
AI boosts speed, but at what cost? Explore how AI expectations are fueling a new kind of burnout in the workplace.
In the age of AI, speed is everything. AI systems generate reports in seconds, analyze customer sentiment in milliseconds, and write code before your coffee cools. But while AI doesn’t tire, its human collaborators still do.
A recent Deloitte study found that 52% of knowledge workers feel more pressure to be productive since adopting AI tools—despite these tools being designed to lighten the load.
Instead of making us slower, AI is speeding everything up. Including burnout.
Faster Inputs, Higher Expectations
AI tools like Copilot, ChatGPT, and Salesforce Einstein are being integrated into workflows to increase efficiency. And they do. But with faster AI-generated drafts, summaries, and predictions comes an unspoken assumption: humans should respond faster, deliver quicker, and meet AI-level turnaround.
You're no longer competing with coworkers—you’re racing a machine.
The Human Cost of Machine Speed
AI doesn’t get stressed. It doesn’t get brain fog. And it certainly doesn’t need lunch breaks. But when companies benchmark performance against AI’s capabilities, humans begin to adopt machine-like expectations—longer hours, instant responsiveness, 24/7 availability.
The result? “Productivity anxiety,” a growing phenomenon where workers feel they’re always behind, even when AI is helping them move faster than ever.
When Efficiency Becomes Exhaustion
AI was supposed to reduce the burden. But in many workplaces, it’s creating a new kind of pressure: keep up, or get outpaced. As AI tools handle the “easy” tasks, the remaining human workload becomes cognitively harder—more strategy, more critical thinking, more judgment—all under shrinking deadlines.
We’ve traded repetitive tasks for high-stakes ones, but without adjusting the time, support, or empathy required.
Reclaiming the Pace
It’s time to question whether we should match AI’s tempo—or teach organizations to design tech around human rhythms. That means:
- Redefining productivity metrics
- Setting boundaries around response time
- Prioritizing rest as much as output
- Recognizing that fast doesn’t always mean better
Conclusion: Productivity Isn't a Race
AI moves fast. But humans aren’t processors. We’re thinkers, feelers, creators. And if we continue racing a machine built never to rest, we risk burning out—not from overwork, but from over-expectation.
Let AI assist. But let humans breathe.
