HBR 2026-03-11-3
When Using AI Leads to "Brain Fry"
BCG-authored survey (n=1,488) coins "AI brain fry" – cognitive fatigue from intensive agent oversight, distinct from burnout. The three-tool productivity ceiling and oversight-as-binding-constraint findings are genuinely useful; the causal language on cross-sectional self-report data is not. The buried signal: autonomous agents requiring less oversight may produce better human outcomes than copilot patterns requiring constant attention – running directly counter to "human in the loop" orthodoxy. The prescription (organizational change management, leadership clarity) is indistinguishable from a BCG engagement scope.