AI Increasing Workloads, Not Reducing Them, Studies Show

Time spent on emails and messaging has doubled, while deep-focus work has fallen by 9% since AI adoption.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 2:48pm

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Contrary to tech leaders' predictions, AI is actually increasing strain for most employees, as the tools add more time to menial tasks and take away from deep-focus work. Since adopting AI into their workflows, time spent across every job responsibility shot up anywhere from 27% to 346%, according to a recent ActivTrak report. The time spent on emails increased by 104%, while chatting and messaging climbed by 145%, and using business management tools rose 94%. There wasn't a single activity category where using AI actually saved users time.

Why it matters

This data challenges the prevailing assumption that AI and modern work make the workday lighter and more manageable. Instead, professionals are now multitasking at a greater rate and spending less time concentrating on complex problems, despite promises that AI would increase focused work time. The findings raise concerns about employee burnout and 'AI brain fry' as workers struggle to keep up with the increased demands.

The details

The ActivTrak report analyzed 10,584 users 180 days before and after their AI adoption, finding that time spent on every job responsibility shot up dramatically. The time spent on emails increased by 104%, while chatting and messaging climbed by 145%, and using business management tools rose 94%. To fit these longer routine tasks into their workdays, employees have had to sacrifice deep-thinking time, with the length of the average focused, uninterrupted work session falling by 9% and focused work hours dropping by an additional 2%.

  • The ActivTrak report analyzed user data 180 days before and after AI adoption.
  • The share of time spent 'in the zone' fell to 60% in 2025, continuing a three-year downward trend.

The players

ActivTrak

A company that provides workforce analytics software to monitor employee productivity.

Demis Hassabis

The CEO of Google DeepMind, who predicted a 'golden era' of prosperity and 'superhuman' workers due to AI.

Elon Musk

The founder of xAI, who believes traditional work will be completely voluntary in the next 10 to 15 years thanks to AI tools.

Eric Yuan

The CEO of Zoom, who predicts that AI will enable companies to support 3-4 day workweeks.

Julie Bedard

The study author and managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group, who found that 'AI brain fry' is worsening mental fatigue for employees.

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What they’re saying

“If AI can make all of our lives better, why do we need to work for five days a week? Every company will support three days, four days a week. I think this ultimately frees up everyone's time.”

— Eric Yuan, CEO, Zoom (The New York Times)

“People were using the tool and getting a lot more done, but also feeling like they were reaching the limits of their brain power, like there were too many decisions to make. Things were moving too fast, and they didn't have the cognitive ability to process all the information and make all the decisions.”

— Julie Bedard, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group (Fortune)

The takeaway

This data challenges the tech industry's rosy predictions about AI revolutionizing the workplace and reducing workloads. Instead, the findings suggest AI is straining employees, leading to increased multitasking, reduced focus time, and potential burnout. Companies and workers will need to carefully manage the integration of AI tools to avoid these negative impacts and realize the promised productivity gains.