Burnout makes you feel constantly exhausted, emotionally checked out of work, and struggle to get things done effectively.
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Burnout has been growing concern across the industry, but artificial intelligence is quietly changing the game.
Burnout is not just a personal issue, as it is recognized by the World Health Organization as a “job phenomenon.” It’s business.
According to a 2025 survey by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Burnout costs $4,000 to $21,000 per US employee, or the average US company with 1,000 employees, $5 million per year.
ChatGpt can be an incredible thinking partner. It’s not just upskills, it’s a reinvention. If people are willing to do their jobs, it may be the greatest opportunity of our time.
Caroline Stokes
Leadership Strategists and Authors
To combat burnout, many companies are turning to AI tools such as ChatGpt and Copilot. They automate recurring tasks, summarise information, and help with content creation and project management. A global survey by the University of Melbourne and KPMG International, of over 32,000 workers in 47 countries, found that 58% of employees intentionally use AI in their workplaces, with one third using it weekly or daily.
However, many workers lose valuable time spending 2.6 hours a day or 13 hours a week (about a third of the average work week), according to tasks that AI can easily handle, and according to workplace intelligence from 2,500 employees and IT leaders around the world.
Headspace Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Jenna Glover described AI as “a very useful companion.”
“It could be a great assistant in terms of lighting. Historically, it’s just a task that puts a lot of cognitive load on it,” she told CNBC.
How does AI help burnout?
A February 20025 IT expert survey found that workplaces using AI tools reduced emotional fatigue by 25%. The AI system allowed early intervention strategies to be implemented based on factors such as long-term engagement and low-engagement, as 30% of participants are at risk of burnout.
“AI can reduce stress by giving employees a personalized nudge, from suggesting short breaks to rebalancing workloads across the team,” Francis Hellyer, CEO of AI-powered Global Travel and Experiences Platform, told CNBC.
Instead of lightening up your luggage, it actually just makes room for more dishes to be placed.
Jenna Glover
Headspace Chief Clinical Officer
Meanwhile, Headspace’s Glover said that AI can support normal workload check-in, flag tasks when they become unbalanced, provide pulse investigations and gather timely feedback.
For Caroline Stokes, a leadership strategist and author, ChatGpt can be a “amazing thinking partner.”
“It’s not just upskills. It’s a reinvention. If people are willing to do their job, it could be the biggest opportunity of our time,” she said.
To combat burnout, many companies are turning to AI tools such as ChatGpt and Copilot.
SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Employees who use AI to mitigate their workloads tend to be more productive, more control over the operational, emotional and cognitive domains and support leaders.
“The CEO can work quickly to understand how an integrated AI system not only supports his mental health, his own burnout, but also to support people’s burnout and mental health, not just this ugly elephant in the room,” she added.
Some companies are already using mental health technology. Headspace’s AI companion EBB is deployed in 2,000 companies to help you with workplace stress, habit building and anxiety management.
But is AI also part of the problem?
It’s clear that AI is transforming the workplace, but it’s questionable whether it’s always for the better people, claiming it could push some employees towards burnout rather than helping them burn out.
A recent survey shows that 45% of US workers using AI are often more likely to suffer from burnout, but 38% of rare users of technology may suffer from the same fate, while 35% of non-users may suffer. The data comes from Quantum Workplace, one of the largest employee experience databases in the United States, based on insights from over 700,000 people from over 8,000 organizations.
Using AI tools throughout a full labor day will make you feel the same as spending nine hours in the gym. I warn Stokes.
That’s what staff once learned how to use it. AI literacy is another challenge. Not all employees are familiar with how to use these tools effectively, and they apply pressure on top of their existing workloads.
“It’s very difficult to continue using AI tools because it’s like every encyclopedia, just ask something, handle something, get everything evaluated, go down the ultimate rabbit hole. Our brains still need to rest.”
She warns that companies that rely on AI to replace personnel may be unintentionally promoting burnout.
Some employees who use AI to increase productivity are accomplishing tasks faster, but they are also taking on more work. “Instead of brightening up your luggage, you just need to make room for actually having more space on your plate,” Glover said.
