Provided by Melissa Stephenson. Reviewed by Irfan Ahmad.
Artificial intelligence has become so commonplace in the lives of Americans, thanks to easy access through LLMs like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. Many people use AI for all kinds of tasks, from planning a dinner to troubleshooting device issues. Students use AI on assignments, helping them plan study guides and create flashcards. And of course, AI usage has found its way into the workplace, whether it’s used for drafting emails, creating presentations, or streamlining analytics.
Now that more people use AI and use it so often, you might wonder whether AI is having a negative or positive impact on their work, mental health, decision-making, and lifestyles. According to this recent study by Solitaire Bliss, based on a survey of 1,499 regular AI users conducted in June 2026, AI usage seems to impact Americans in a variety of negative ways. But will these negative impacts be enough to encourage Americans to cut back their dependence on artificial intelligence?
Some of this mental exhaustion comes from the sheer amount of information an LLM can process and spit back out. For example, if an HR representative asked ChatGPT to create a presentation, accompanying talking points, and handouts on workplace harassment, ChatGPT would likely respond with an excess of information. That’s the job of AI: sift through material and spit it back out in a different way. This leaves almost 45% of Americans feeling overwhelmed by too much information, which contributes to mental exhaustion.
In the same vein, about a third (34%) of Americans say AI sometimes makes them feel like they are working harder, not easier. Sometimes, the amount of effort used to create the perfect prompt and continually edit AI output far exceeds the amount of effort used to do the task in the first place. It might just be easier to type out the email than it is to prompt AI and issue multiple corrections to achieve the perfect response. No wonder AI can leave Americans feeling exhausted!
According to this survey, more than half (54%) of Americans interviewed said that they have hidden their AI use or passed AI's work off as their own. Having to hide AI usage can contribute to mental exhaustion, as people would have to clear browsers and edit their work to make it sound human to hide the fact that it's really AI.
Only about a tenth (13% ) of Americans say they rarely feel mentally drained, meaning the vast majority hit a daily wall. Nearly 1 in 3 Americans already feel mentally drained or foggy after heavy AI use. While these side effects can be influenced by other factors, many believe that the mental exhaustion and lazy thinking for which they blame AI leads them to this state. AI can also cause eye strain from looking at the screen for so long, which also contributes to mental exhaustion and fatigue.
About half (49%) of Americans openly admit that they trust technology’s memory more than their own, and it looks like they trust its skill level more as well. When it comes to reading or summarizing long content, coming up with ideas, and writing emails or messages. Americans tend to outsource these duties to AI the most. This means Americans continue to use AI for simple tasks, increasing their dependence on technology and opening themselves to brain fry, some report from excessive AI usage.
The dependence on AI continues to grow, and more and more industries and educational institutions are opening conversations about how best to incorporate AI into their processes. As Americans become more AI-literate, they also need to balance their use of this growing technology with how it can potentially affect their mental health well-being.
Read next:
• Sam Altman says we’re ‘in the singularity’ with AI. Here’s why he’s wrong
Artificial intelligence has become so commonplace in the lives of Americans, thanks to easy access through LLMs like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. Many people use AI for all kinds of tasks, from planning a dinner to troubleshooting device issues. Students use AI on assignments, helping them plan study guides and create flashcards. And of course, AI usage has found its way into the workplace, whether it’s used for drafting emails, creating presentations, or streamlining analytics.
Now that more people use AI and use it so often, you might wonder whether AI is having a negative or positive impact on their work, mental health, decision-making, and lifestyles. According to this recent study by Solitaire Bliss, based on a survey of 1,499 regular AI users conducted in June 2026, AI usage seems to impact Americans in a variety of negative ways. But will these negative impacts be enough to encourage Americans to cut back their dependence on artificial intelligence?
How Workplace AI Use Impacts Americans
The whole point of AI is to streamline and make lives better for humans, whether it’s by creating replies to emails or creating an entire HR presentation in under five minutes. And while the time and effort used to do these things is reduced by AI, more than 2 in 5 Americans say their brain feels fried after a heavy AI workday. People still feel mentally exhausted using AI, even though the whole point of AI is to reduce workloads and make things easier.Some of this mental exhaustion comes from the sheer amount of information an LLM can process and spit back out. For example, if an HR representative asked ChatGPT to create a presentation, accompanying talking points, and handouts on workplace harassment, ChatGPT would likely respond with an excess of information. That’s the job of AI: sift through material and spit it back out in a different way. This leaves almost 45% of Americans feeling overwhelmed by too much information, which contributes to mental exhaustion.
In the same vein, about a third (34%) of Americans say AI sometimes makes them feel like they are working harder, not easier. Sometimes, the amount of effort used to create the perfect prompt and continually edit AI output far exceeds the amount of effort used to do the task in the first place. It might just be easier to type out the email than it is to prompt AI and issue multiple corrections to achieve the perfect response. No wonder AI can leave Americans feeling exhausted!
According to this survey, more than half (54%) of Americans interviewed said that they have hidden their AI use or passed AI's work off as their own. Having to hide AI usage can contribute to mental exhaustion, as people would have to clear browsers and edit their work to make it sound human to hide the fact that it's really AI.
Side Effects of AI Use for Americans
One major side effect of AI is that artificial intelligence thinks for humans. This has led to most Americans saying that AI has made their thinking lazier, as technology can come up with ideas faster than humans. Growing up in the era of AI, it is Generation Z who feels this phenomenon the most, with 78% of Gen Z Americans saying that they feel mentally lazier. The older the generation, the less this phenomenon is felt, as only 56% of Boomers agree.Only about a tenth (13% ) of Americans say they rarely feel mentally drained, meaning the vast majority hit a daily wall. Nearly 1 in 3 Americans already feel mentally drained or foggy after heavy AI use. While these side effects can be influenced by other factors, many believe that the mental exhaustion and lazy thinking for which they blame AI leads them to this state. AI can also cause eye strain from looking at the screen for so long, which also contributes to mental exhaustion and fatigue.
Americans Worry about AI Dependence but Still Use it
Despite the negative impacts some feel AI causes, Americans still use AI regularly but do have some concerns. Of Americans surveyed, 57% say that they worry about becoming too dependent on AI, a feeling that is strongest among Gen Zers. And while people worry about their AI use, they still rely on it for even the simplest of tasks.About half (49%) of Americans openly admit that they trust technology’s memory more than their own, and it looks like they trust its skill level more as well. When it comes to reading or summarizing long content, coming up with ideas, and writing emails or messages. Americans tend to outsource these duties to AI the most. This means Americans continue to use AI for simple tasks, increasing their dependence on technology and opening themselves to brain fry, some report from excessive AI usage.
The dependence on AI continues to grow, and more and more industries and educational institutions are opening conversations about how best to incorporate AI into their processes. As Americans become more AI-literate, they also need to balance their use of this growing technology with how it can potentially affect their mental health well-being.
Read next:
• Sam Altman says we’re ‘in the singularity’ with AI. Here’s why he’s wrong
