Why is AI motivating some devs and burning out others?

<p>Most developers say they like the AI tools they're using, yet motivation is down and burnout is everywhere. This week I look at what the 2026 Stack Overflow and State of Devs surveys say, and what you've been telling me in the comments. Then I get to what the people who are happier with AI are doing differently, and what could actually fix this.<br /><br />Sources:<br />Stack Overflow 2026 Developer Survey: <a href="https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026</a><br />State of Devs 2026: <a href="https://2026.stateofdevs.com/en-US" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://2026.stateofdevs.com/en-US</a><br /><br />My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: <a href="https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell</a><br /><br />✉ The written version of my newsletter: <a href="https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter</a><br />💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: <a href="https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK</a><br /><br />Help support my channel<br />👨‍🎓 Get a course: <a href="https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses</a><br />👕 Buy a shirt: <a href="https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome</a><br />💖 Support me on Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell</a><br /><br />0:00 Developers like AI, so why the burnout?<br />0:15 The paradox in the Stack Overflow survey<br />1:58 What you've been saying in the comments<br />3:06 Reduced motivation is the top burnout symptom<br />4:13 Poor management, the top workplace difficulty<br />6:11 Some people are happier with AI<br />8:21 The job isn't typing, it's shipping products<br />9:33 Management needs a rethink<br />11:42 Lessons from Photoshop<br />14:45 What you can do<br />15:41 What do you think?</p>