AI fatigue emerges as a distinct burnout category as legal professionals supervise rather than use machines

A May 2026 analysis identifies "AI fatigue" as an emerging burnout driver: workers spend large portions of their day checking AI-generated output, correcting errors, rewriting summaries, and adapting to rapidly changing platforms — a form of continuous low-level vigilance that differs from traditional overwork. Legal services are identified as a high-stakes sector where the pressure of catching AI errors carries real consequences. The piece argues that AI adoption is accelerating faster than workplace culture is adapting, and that the long-term human cost of permanent digital oversight roles is not yet reflected in wellbeing programmes.