Why Are the People Who Use AI Most Worried About It?

Here’s an usual finding about artificial intelligence.

The people who use AI the most are also the most worried that it will take their jobs.

Gallup has been tracking American workers’ use of AI.

Workers who use AI every day or several times a week are more than twice as likely to fear that their jobs will disappear within five years compared with people who use AI infrequently.

At first, this seems backwards.

Why AI Feels Different

Using a technology usually makes it less frightening.

But AI is different.

Imagine using ChatGPT to complete a task that normally takes two hours—and finishing it in twenty minutes.

That’s fantastic.

Then comes another thought:

If AI just did 80 percent of this task, what exactly is my value?

Why AI Creates So Much Uncertainty

That question creates uncertainty.

And uncertainty is something brains don’t like. Uncertainly generates a palpable stress response in humans.

Here’s the reason: Human brains are prediction machines. They continually try to anticipate what’s going to happen next so the body can allocate resources appropriately.

AI disrupts those predictions.

There’s another warning sign.

A new IBM study of 8,800 employees found that 60% worry AI is eroding their skills. Critical thinking was the skill they most frequently identified as declining.

The Problem Isn’t AI. It’s Agency.

AI is extraordinarily useful when people experience it as extending their capabilities.

It’s very different when people experience it as replacing their capabilities.

The challenge for leaders isn’t simply getting employees to use AI.

It’s designing work so that AI makes people more capable—not less necessary.

The solution is sharpening critical thinking skills so that one can exercise judgment. AI is, after all, artificial. This is why judgement is vitally necessary for anyone managing AI agents. 

FAQs

Why are frequent AI users more worried about losing their jobs?

People who use AI regularly see firsthand how quickly it can complete work that previously took much longer. That can make the possibility of automation feel more immediate and raise questions about how much of their role could eventually be replaced.

Why does AI create so much uncertainty at work?

Human brains are constantly trying to predict what happens next. When AI rapidly changes how tasks are completed and what skills are valued, those predictions become harder to make, which can create stress and uncertainty.

What skills become more important as AI adoption grows?

Critical thinking and judgment may become even more important. The challenge is not simply getting people to use AI, but designing work so AI extends human capabilities rather than making people feel less necessary.