Too Much, Too Fast: Understanding Ai Fatigue In The Digital Acceleration Era

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes deeply embedded in work, education, and everyday decision-making, a growing psychosocial challenge has emerged: AI fatigue. This paper conceptualises AI fatigue as a multidimensional condition arising from the interplay of technostress, cognitive overload, and emotional exhaustion, driven not only by constant AI use but also by the relentless pace, opacity, and unevenness of AI integration. Drawing on Technostress Theory and Cognitive Load Theory, the study differentiates AI fatigue from broader digital burnout while highlighting their intersections in cognitive, emotional, and organisational domains. Using a narrative literature review with thematic synthesis, the paper identifies key drivers of AI fatigue, including poor design, ethical opacity, organisational misalignment, and structural inequality. It argues that AI fatigue is not merely an individual adaptation issue but a systemic outcome of current digital transformation practices. To address this emerging condition, the paper outlines strategies for human-centred AI design, policy safeguards, and organisational wellbeing interventions, advocating a shift from productivity-first to psychological sustainability-first approaches. The study concludes by calling for empirical, longitudinal, and cross-sector research to better understand and mitigate AI fatigue as a structural feature of life in the algorithmic era.