Survey: 31% of Workers Report Increased Workloads from AI
Contrary to expectations that AI would ease workloads, a new survey from ResumeTemplates.com finds that 31% of employees say their workload has increased since adopting AI tools. Many workers report that the technology is driving higher performance pressure and fatigue as employers raise productivity expectations.
- The pressure to perform is felt by a majority of workers, with 59% reporting that AI has increased performance pressure. This is compounded by the fact that 60% of employees say their managers expect or require them to use AI tools. - For software engineers, this paradox is particularly sharp; while AI can boost productivity, a 2024 survey found that 65% of engineers still experience burnout even when their organizations use AI in development. Another study revealed that 67% of developers reported spending more time debugging AI-generated code. - This increased workload is partly due to a phenomenon called "AI fatigue," the mental exhaustion from constantly switching between tasks and reviewing AI-generated outputs, which increases the demand for human coordination and decision-making. - The San Francisco Bay Area is a global hub for AI investment, attracting over $29 billion in venture capital funding for AI companies in the first half of 2025 alone. This has led to AI-related companies leasing over 5 million square feet of office space in the city over the past five years. - Local startups are actively integrating AI into their products. San Francisco-based Nova AI is building a platform to automate tasks for software developers like unit testing, while Raspberry AI offers AI design software for fashion brands. - The rise of AI is blurring the lines between traditional engineering career paths. As individual contributors (ICs) begin to manage and orchestrate AI agents, the distinction between IC and management roles may become less defined, emphasizing adaptability and strategic oversight of AI systems. - To manage the new demands, engineers are adopting a suite of AI tools. GitHub Copilot and Tabnine provide AI-powered code completion, while platforms like Vellum AI and Zapier help automate complex workflows, connecting different apps and AI models. - In the long term, AI is expected to shift the job market by handling routine tasks and creating new roles that require a combination of technical and human skills, such as AI ethics specialists and machine learning engineers. One forecast from the World Economic Forum projected that while AI could displace 75 million jobs, it would also create 133 million new ones.
