315 - The Side Effects of AI

315 - The Side Effects of AI

February 20, 2026 · 1h 4m · Episode 315

About this episode

The episode discusses the indirect effects of AI on work and mental health, including stress and anxiety related to job security.

Episode Link: https://www.humanfactorscast.media/315 News: This week we discuss AI’s indirect effects on work and mental health, plus a major update on US air traffic control modernization. We cover “AI replacement dysfunction,” described as stress, anxiety, insomnia, and identity loss driven by the narrative that AI will make workers obsolete, and debate whether it reflects AI-specific harm or broader workplace insecurity and poor management messaging. We also explore the concept of “cognitive debt,” where heavy chatbot reliance and cognitive offloading may erode skills or leave partially developed ideas and externalized reasoning trapped in chat histories. Support us: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/humanfactorscast Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hfactorspodcast Merchandise Store: https://www.humanfactorscast.media/p/Store/ Human Factors Cast Socials: Join us on Discord: https://go.humanfactorscast.media/Discord Twitch: https://twitch.tv/HumanFactorsCast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/HumanFactorsCast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/humanfactorscast Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HFactorsPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumanFactorsCast…

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Host: Human Factors Cast

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Organizations: US air traffic control, Discord, Twitch, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook

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