AI fatigue could burn out programmers, Gary Marcus warns

AI fatigue may not impact every profession equally, according to AI researcher Gary Marcus, who says some workers could actually find their jobs more enjoyable with the rise of artificial intelligence.

“In some domains, AI might actually make a person’s job more fun,” Marcus told Business Insider, suggesting that tools powered by AI can feel like a “superpower” — particularly for people doing creative tasks outside their core expertise.

However, Marcus noted that software engineers appear especially vulnerable to burnout as AI rapidly reshapes programming workflows. 

Developers are increasingly voicing concerns that their roles have shifted from building systems to reviewing and debugging AI-generated code.

Siddhant Khare, who builds AI tools, recently described experiencing AI fatigue firsthand. 

“If someone who builds agent infrastructure full-time can burn out on AI, it can happen to anyone,” he wrote, adding that engineers now feel more like reviewers than creators.

“Every time it feels like you are a judge at an assembly line and that assembly line is never-ending,” Khare said.

Marcus echoed that sentiment, saying debugging AI-generated code is often less fulfilling than writing original code. “Debugging somebody else’s code is not particularly fun,” he explained.

Veteran engineer Steve Yegge has even suggested limiting AI-assisted work to three hours per day, warning that AI can have “a vampiric effect” on productivity.

While AI may energise some professions, Marcus believes its impact will vary widely — and for coders, the adjustment may prove especially exhausting.