2026-02-12T16:59:16.696Z
Software engineers have voiced burnout concerns in a world of vibe coding and frequent model launches.
Engineers say AI is making them more productive, but ultimately draining them.
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Software engineers are in the AI hot seat — and they’re feeling it.
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Facing pressures to keep their edge and avoid layoffs, software engineers are leaning into AI coding tools to help them do more, faster. But programmers have recently sounded the alarm that the productivity gains that come from AI can come at a mental cost.
Say, hello to AI fatigue.
Siddhant Khare, a software engineer who builds AI tools, recently struck a chord with his post about the topic, which he said “every engineer needs to confront.” He told Business Insider that some days he used to be able to focus on just one task, but now AI is constantly pulling him in different directions.
Steve Yegge, who worked at Amazon in the early days and spent 12 years at Google, said he and his friends have even started to take naps during the day to cope with exhausting AI coding sprints. He said that companies should consider imposing a 3-hour cap on AI-assisted work.
AI fatigue — which is notably different than simply being tired about hearing about AI or being pressured to use it at work — has become a hot topic among software engineers, but it can also show up in other industries.
