New report says workers are more worried about this than being left behind due to AI
There is an emerging "dominant anxiety" that is creeping up in the workforce as artificial intelligence adoption becomes widespread, and it's not about being left behind, according to a new report.
New research from the Acceleration Community of Companies (ACC) found that 74% of employees are now more worried about becoming too dependent on AI than falling behind in its adoption.
This is an anxiety felt across generations, from Gen Z (78%), Gen Y (72%), and Gen X (74%) workers.
"There is no generation, gender, or age cohort in which 'falling behind' outperforms 'becoming too dependent,'" the report read.
"The dominant anxiety of the AI era isn't being left behind, or even replaced. It's about losing yourself to the tools you're using to keep up."
'The Confidence Paradox'
The findings point to the rising psychological impact of AI tools in the workforce as the technology further penetrates workplaces and personal lives.
The majority of employees, in particular, are extremely concerned about skills erosion because of AI use.
Nearly two in three respondents said AI will erode their writing skills (66%) and creativity (66%), according to the report.
"AI has given me a lot of confidence. Maybe too much confidence. It's certainly made me better at my job. I can do work faster now," one respondent in the report said.
"But I worry it's making me worse at the things that made me good at my job in the first place."
More than half of the respondents said they are also worried it will impact their memory (63%), social skills (60%), attention (62%), and life competence (66%).
Six in 10 respondents added that they are also concerned that AI use will erode their mental health.
The report described its findings as "The Confidence Paradox."
"Most workers say AI makes them smarter, more creative, and better at their jobs," the report read. "But they also believe their fundamental skills are eroding because of it."
New kind of workplace guilt
Additionally, employees using AI at work are experiencing a feeling of guilt when utilising the technology, according to the report.
Three in 10 respondents said they felt like using AI is cheating, and 23% said they have felt guilty using it because something seemed so easy.
As a result, some 17% of the respondents said they have kept AI tools and tactics a secret, while another 10% lied about using AI to complete a task.
Addressing AI's psychological impact
Monica Chun, president of ACC, said it is the employer's responsibility to ensure that their employees' confidence remains despite growing AI use.
"The conversation around AI has focused almost entirely on whether it will replace jobs," Chun said.
"Our work suggests people are increasingly worried that relying on AI could erode the abilities they value most, fuelling anxiety about becoming too dependent on a technology they're increasingly expected to use. The onus is now on businesses to help people use AI without losing confidence in their own capabilities."
Kevin Fitzgerald, UK managing director at Employment Hero, previously addressed the growing guilt in the workforce amid AI use.
"AI shouldn't feel like cheating. It should feel like using any other tool that helps people do their jobs better," Fitzgerald previously said.
The managing director attributed these feelings of guilt to workplace norms not yet catching up with employee behaviour, and underscored the need for employers to provide clear guidance on AI use.
"If workers don't have clear guidance, they'll continue to learn in the shadows, making it harder for businesses to understand AI's true impact, manage risk and support skills development," Fitzgerald added.
