Artificial intelligence is rapidly making intellectual work and social interaction easier, but that ease may come at a substantial psychological cost, according to researchers from the University of Toronto.
In an article published in Communications Psychology , the authors argue that AI's greatest strength, namely removing friction from work and relationships, is also a liability.
Friction—the experience of effort, struggle, and difficulty—plays a critical role in learning, motivation, and meaningful human experience. By removing that friction, AI could unintentionally weaken these essential processes, eliminating desirable difficulties that drive growth.
“AI’s greatest strength is its ability to make difficult tasks effortless,” says lead author Emily Zohar, a doctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Toronto. “But effort isn’t just a burden, it’s also what helps us learn, develop skills, and find meaning in what we do.”
“By subtracting effort from life, and prioritizing outcome over process, AI risks removing the struggles that teach us, the loneliness that connects us, and the labor that makes life meaningful.”
Effort is essential for meaning
Artificial intelligence’s removal of friction is extreme. While previous technological advances such as washing machines and power steering removed excess friction (tedious or insurmountable obstacles that offer little benefit for learning or meaning), AI also strips away beneficial friction. Psychological research shows that effortful engagement strengthens learning and memory. When individuals struggle with tasks such as writing, problem-solving, or creative thinking, they develop deeper understanding and greater skill. AI systems can generate polished outputs instantly, potentially bypassing the cognitive processes that support learning.
“When AI does the difficult thinking for us, we may lose opportunities to build competence and confidence,” says senior co-author Paul Bloom, professor of psychology at Yale University and the University of Toronto. “Effort also enhances meaning. It helps make achievements feel personal and significant. People tend to value outcomes more when they have worked hard to achieve them.”
AI could alter social behavior
The article also examines AI’s growing role as a source of emotional support. While AI companions can reduce loneliness, the authors warn that loneliness itself serves an important purpose by motivating people to seek social connection. Just as struggle enhances learning in intellectual work, the friction of navigating real human relationships deepens them and creates genuine shared history.
“Loneliness can act as a signal that encourages us to reach out and invest in relationships,” says Zohar. “If AI removes that signal, it may reduce motivation to form and maintain human connections.”
Timing and integration matters
AI provides significant benefits and can enhance productivity, accessibility, and well-being. In some cases, it would be perverse to abandon it, even if some valuable friction is sacrificed in the process, emphasize the authors.
More generally, the impact of AI on learning, motivation, and meaning may differ depending on the stage of life or career. For experienced professionals, AI can save time and increase efficiency. For socially isolated individuals, AI companions may provide valuable support. However, for individuals in earlier developmental stages, AI risks bypassing the very experiences that build these foundational skills. Just as students are still asked to “show their work” even when calculators exist, younger learners need to struggle, reason, and revise through the full process before they can benefit from shortcuts
“The concern is not AI itself,” says senior co-author Michael Inzlicht, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and Research Lead at the Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Study of Science and Technology, “but our relationship with it. How we integrate it into our lives, and how we ensure it supports human development rather than replacing the effort that helps us grow.”
“The goal should be to harness AI's benefits while preserving the friction that makes us human,” adds Inzlicht. “Struggle teaches us, loneliness connects us, and effort gives our achievements meaning. In rushing toward a frictionless future, we must be careful not to smooth away the very experiences that contribute to a meaningful life.”
Communications Psychology
Against Frictionless AI
24-Feb-2026