burnout in the era of artificial intelligence: challenges and benefits

Burnout is an occupational phenomenon that can develop as a result of high job demands and insufficient access to necessary resources, affecting employees’ mental health and well-being at work, as well as the organization as a whole. This study adopts a qualitative research design and a document analysis method, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of the factors underlying burnout, as well as to highlight the impact of artificial intelligence on work-life balance with the goal of strengthening the existing information framework on the topic. The analysis revealed that the factors leading to burnout are both organizational, such as high workload, role ambiguity, role conflicts, time pressure, high emotional demands, tension between professional and personal responsibilities, lack of social support and limited autonomy and individual, including personality traits and coping strategies. Among the consequences regarding burnout in the workplace, notable is decreased productivity, lack of creativity, diminished service quality, absenteeism, staff turnover, conflicts or a negative organizational climate, as well as physical, emotional, interpersonal, attitudinal and behavioral individual effects. Furthermore, artificial intelligence can have a negative influence on employee well-being leading to anxiety about job loss, fear of not having the necessary skills, automation and intensification of tasks, social isolation or competition between humans and machines, leading to burnout. Alternatively, it can have a positive impact on personal and professional quality of life by providing support on employee well-being with an assortment of practical tools and innovative solutions.