BCG / HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
2026
2026
14% of AI users reported mental fatigue from excessive AI use or oversight.
THE HUMAN VELOCITY PROJECT · SCIENCE. OBSERVATION. HUMANITY.
LIFE AT A MILLION
MILES AN HOUR.
Still human. AI is transforming how we think, work and live — and with the right support, humans can thrive in it.
01 / WHY WE EXIST
THE WORLD ACCELERATED.
WE’RE MAKING SURE
HUMANS CAN KEEP UP.
Students. Parents. Older adults. Workers. Clinicians. Creators. AI is now part of life across every age and profession.
Used well, it removes drudgery and frees us to return to connection, creativity and self-actualization. Used without awareness, it can quietly change how we think, work and rest.
We’re here to get ahead of that. Not to slow the revolution down. To make sure the human moves forward with it.
02 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS.
MICROSOFT RESEARCH & CARNEGIE MELLON
CHI 2025
CHI 2025
Higher confidence in AI was associated with less critical-thinking activity.
MIT MEDIA LAB
2025 · PREPRINT
2025 · PREPRINT
LLM-assisted writers showed the weakest neural connectivity, poorer recall and ownership.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ICD-11
ICD-11
Burnout is a recognised occupational phenomenon.
JMIR MENTAL HEALTH
2025
2025
Sustained chatbot engagement may amplify or reshape psychotic experiences in vulnerable individuals.
A NOTE ON CERTAINTY
Not every finding carries the same weight. We distinguish established evidence, emerging findings and proposed frameworks.
Understand the evidence keyThe Productivity Paradox
AI can increase visible output while masking changes in the human producing it. The people creating the most AI leverage may also carry the greatest exposure. Exposure — not intelligence — is the key variable.
03 / THE FOUR DOMAINS
FOUR WAYS INTENSIVE AI USE
MAY MEET THE HUMAN SYSTEM.
01 / DOMAIN
Cognitive Offloading
Is AI doing too much of your thinking?
EmergingExplore domain
02 / DOMAIN
AI Hyperarousal Syndrome
Can your nervous system switch off after AI?
ProposedExplore domain
03 / DOMAIN
Occupational Burnout
Is AI reducing your workload — or increasing it?
EstablishedExplore domain
04 / DOMAIN
Reality Distortion
When AI starts to feel too certain.
EmergingExplore domain
04 / A NEW LENS · AIHS
A NEW WAY OF SEEING
EXCESSIVE AI USE.
AI Hyperarousal Syndrome (AIHS) is a proposed framework by Julia Worrall, RN, exploring how intensive AI engagement may meet the human nervous system. A lens for asking better questions — not a diagnosis.
The five-phase Worrall framework is described in the executive report. Under clinical evaluation; peer-reviewed trial data and refined outcomes are pending.
Learn about AIHS05 / PROTECT THE HUMAN ADVANTAGE
USE AI. KEEP YOUR HUMANITY.
Think first, AI second
Give your own thinking a head start.
Retrieval before reference
Recall what you know before reaching for an answer.
Verify, integrate, steward
Keep human judgment in the loop.
Protect no-AI practice
Make space for skills that remain yours.
Let AI remove toil, not add oversight
Measure the work it removes, not just the output it adds.
Protect recovery
Rest is part of the human system, not a reward for productivity.
Keep human reality checks
Stay connected to people and independent perspectives.
06 / START WITH YOURSELF
THE AI HEALTH CHECK.
Three minutes. Twenty questions. Four domains.
See which patterns you recognise.
07 / CONTRIBUTE TO THE RESEARCH
HELP DEFINE THE HUMAN SIDE OF AI.
Your experience can help shape a more human future.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROJECT
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE. HUMAN CURIOSITY.
Co-founded by Julia Worrall, RN and Tim Moore, AI Engineer.