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The widespread fear among workers of being replaced by AI now or in the future has been well documented. Recent headlines about Block and Oracle and layoffs only amp up the worry among workers being asked to learn this new technology. And while some of the concerns about machines pushing humans out of their jobs might be a bit overstated, the anxiety is real.
This is why one of the biggest tasks facing technology leaders today is to address the fears and create effective strategies for getting employees to use AI tools despite whatever worries they might have about them.
“AI-related fear is persisting, and in many organizations, it’s intensifying, even as AI adoption accelerates,” said Jamie Shapiro, founder and CEO of Connected EC, a leadership coaching firm. “What’s amplifying AI fear is not what the technology can do, but how leaders frame its purpose and impact.”
When AI is consistently discussed in terms of cost savings, efficiency, doing more with less, or headcount reduction, employees don’t hear opportunity, they hear threat, Shapiro said. “That framing pushes people into survival mode, which undermines trust and shuts down curiosity, experimentation, and learning,” she said.
