Anxious over AI? One way to cope is by building your uniquely human skills PDF Free Download
1 / 6/6
100%
Anxious over AI? One way to cope is by
building your uniquely human skills
May 29 2025, by Nitin Deckha
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
We live in a time of growing anxiety and fear, where the disruptive
forces of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, Big Data, virtual reality
and augmented reality loom ominously over people's lives.
1/6
In a recent Scientific American article, psychologist Mary Alvord
described how these anxieties are manifesting in her clients. Their
concerns ranged from the increase in students cheating with generative
AI to the erosion of online data privacy, to more existential fears of job
loss and even the "possibility of overall human obsolescence."
These aren't abstract concerns. Beyond the psychologist's chair, the
concern over the loss and transformation of work by generative AI is
well-founded and widely documented by academic research studies and
reports. As AI becomes more capable and embedded in daily routines,
anxieties surrounding it are likely to intensify.
The future of work
The World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2025 Future of Jobs Report found
that 85.7% of employers surveyed see AI, information processing, Big
Data, virtual reality and augmented reality as the biggest technological
driver of business transformation. Robots and automation follow at
57.8%.
While the report notes that long-term productivity gains from these
technologies remain uncertain, it found that certain jobs are being
impacted more than others. Roles where generative AI can mimic human
capacities—like data entry, administration, legal and executive
secretaries, claim adjusters and examiners, and graphic designers—are
declining the fastest.
These findings are corroborated by a recent joint report from the
International Labor Organization (ILO) and Poland's National Research
Institute. It found that 25% of jobs are at risk of being changed by
generative AI, a number that jumps to 34% in higher-income countries.
The report also noted a gendered impact: in high-income countries, 9.6%
2/6
of jobs held by women are at high risk of automation, compared to just
3.5% of jobs held by men.
The impact on clerical jobs noted by the WEF is supported by ILO's
data as well. Joining these roles are what the ILO describes as "highly
digitized cognitive jobs in media, software, and finance-related" fields.
The significant exposure of jobs such as securities and finance dealers
and brokers, software developers, financial advisers, authors and writers,
translators, interpreters and journalists underscores the encroachment of
generative AI onto all sorts of "thinking" and creative work.
It is no wonder psychologists like Alvord suggest some humans are
questioning what role they will have in the future world of work.
Work in a time of disruption
The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on work—including the "great
resignation" which saw record numbers of employees quitting their
jobs—encouraged workers to reflect on their relationship to work.
Although workplace trends like remote work, flexible hours and
employees re-evaluating their job expectations were already underway
before the pandemic, COVID-19 accelerated these shifts.
According to futurists at Policy Horizons Canada, there are a number of
"game changers" transforming the future of work. Disruptive
technologies like generative AI and automation are just one driver.
Another major force is the fraying of the social contract between
employers and employees. This shift speaks to larger currents of anxiety,
fear and employee disengagement and low morale. Put simply,
employers and employees are no longer investing in each other as much
3/6
as before.
With the erosion of benefits, the rise of the gig economy and the
increasing cost of living, employees were already feeling vulnerable and
anxious about their work before the launch of ChatGPT in 2023.
How can we cope with AI anxiety?
As with any form of anxiety, it's important to acknowledge your feelings
and take steps to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Psychologists suggest several specific strategies for managing anxiety
about generative AI. These include: trying out AI tools to figure out how
and where they can be useful; taking breaks from technology to restore
and revitalize; building new skills; and pursuing activities that activate
human creativity and imagination.
I would like to expand on the third strategy—building new skills. In a
recent research study, my colleagues and I investigated the skills that are
required to succeed in the future of work. We reviewed six research
studies from around the world and created a skills inventory of future of
work skills.
We identified 10 skills that were most frequently identified as key for
the future of work: collaboration, communication, creativity and
innovation, critical thinking, cross-cultural competency, decision-making
and judgment, learning/willingness to learn, problem-solving and social
intelligence/perceptiveness.
For those concerned about remaining employable in the face of AI
disruption, focusing on these skills is a practical starting point, as they
are likely to remain in demand as workplaces evolve.
4/6
Importantly, all these skills are "human" skills, meaning not digital or
technological. In this context, perhaps one of the most effective
responses to anxiety about AI is focusing on developing our own human
capacities.
Rethinking our relationship with AI and work
Researchers argue that the disruptive potential of AI in the workplace
involves one of three channels: replacing aspects of human work;
complementing or augmenting human workers and their skills; and
creating new tasks for workers.
Of these, the second—complementing or augmenting human
work—might be the best path forward. Rather than viewing generative
AI solely as a threat, it can be seen as a tool that enhances human
abilities.
Exploring how our own cognitive and creative capacities could be
augmented through "collaborative intelligence" with generative AI,
might be a useful antidote to being anxious about it.
Such collaboration may also catalyze our re-imagining of our
relationship to work and enhance our sense of purpose in a rapidly
changing world.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative
Commons license. Read the original article. This article is republished
from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the
original article.
Provided by The Conversation
5/6
Citation: Anxious over AI? One way to cope is by building your uniquely human skills (2025,
May 29) retrieved 20 August 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-05-anxious-ai-cope-uniquely-
human.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private
study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is
provided for information purposes only.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
6/6
