AI Was Supposed to Make Engineers Less Burned Out. The Data Says Otherwise.

Every major AI company publishes research showing their tools save developers hours every week. Our burnout tracking data tells a different story — AI pressure has become one of the top drivers of engineer burnout in 2026. The narrative around AI and developer productivity has been remarkably consistent. GitHub publishes a study showing Copilot users complete tasks 55% faster. McKinsey publishes research showing AI could automate nearly 30% of US work hours by 2030. The implicit promise: AI tool