# Survey finds technology leaders expect AI workloads to strain existing infrastructure

DevFeed: [Survey finds technology leaders expect AI workloads to strain existing infrastructure](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/why-ai-scale-is-breaking-systems-built-for-humans-23746.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://cockroachlabs.com/blog/ai-scale-breaking-human-systems>)

Author: Becca Weng

Published: 2026-02-17T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Cockroach Labs](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/cockroach-labs.md>)

Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [AI Infrastructure](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-infrastructure.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>), [Cloud](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cloud.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [ai-infrastructure](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-infrastructure.md>), [architecture](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/architecture.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [global](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/global.md>), [load](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/load.md>), [scale](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/scale.md>), [survey](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/survey.md>)

## AI overview

This article examines how AI agents, copilots, and background processes create continuous, machine-driven workloads that differ from human traffic. It cites a Cockroach Labs and Wakefield Research survey of 1,125 senior technology leaders, 83% of whom expect their infrastructure to fail under AI pressure within two years.

## Source excerpt

83% of technology leaders believe their infrastructure will fail under AI pressure within two years. That number is not meant to provoke alarm. It's simply a fact that reflects the forward-looking judgment of 1,125 global engineering and technology leaders who are already seeing stress where their systems were never designed to carry it.