During graduation season this spring, you probably saw footage of students booing commencement speakers who praised AI and encouraged them to ‘embrace it’. Real estate executive Gloria Caulfield described AI as “the next industrial revolution” to the graduating class of the University of Central Florida. After she was immediately met with “boos,” she replied “Okay, I struck a chord.”
But it’s not just recent grads that wonder what the workplace future looks like in the world of AI. Longtime employees, middle management, those with a few years under their belt – you can’t find a group that isn’t worried about something.
What are some of the biggest fears? And how do team members feel about it? Here’s a look at what tops the list:
Fear #1: “I’m going to lose my job altogether or at the very least I’ll become obsolete.”
What this looks like for team members:
- Worry that automation or efficiency goals will eliminate jobs entirely.
- Anxiety that testing tools or building workflows will make a position obsolete (essentially ‘training your replacement’).
- Fear that relying on AI for key duties tells leaders that a team member is easily swapped out.
Fear #2: “The learning curve with AI is steep. I feel like I’m never going to keep up and my career growth will suffer.”
What this looks like for team members:
- Stress over adapting fast enough or missing out on promotions because other team members use AI faster.
- Concern that day-to-day work becomes “AI babysitting” instead of building meaningful skills.
- Frustration over improper training and guidelines when it comes to AI.
Fear #3: “I’m losing trust in my organization since AI was adopted and I’m fearful that workplace culture is changing.”
What this looks like for team members:
- Worry that leaders value cost-saving and efficiency more than human well-being.
- Distrust in AI reliability and accuracy of AI outputs.
- Anxiety about data privacy breaches.
Has AI caused stress and anxiety within your organization? Are team members adapting or are some having fears like those mentioned above? If you’d like to discuss your organization’s specific challenges with AI and how to better support your team members, Leah M Joppy and Associates is ready to help.
Learn more by calling us at 301-351-9523 or email us at leah@lmja.com.
