AI Anxiety
AI Anxiety: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Beat It
If you’ve been in any workplace lately, you’ve probably felt it—that quiet hum of unease whenever AI comes up. People lean in, nod cautiously, maybe crack a nervous joke: “Guess the robots are coming for us.”
This isn’t paranoia. Psychologists now call it AI anxiety: the fear that machines will edge us out, make our skills obsolete, or turn us into button-pushers. A 2024 Boston Consulting Group study found nearly 70% of employees report some level of anxiety about AI’s impact on their work.
It’s real. But it’s not new.
Flashback: The Yellow Pages Typewriter Floor
Three decades ago, when I started at Yellow Pages, I walked into what felt like a scene from Mad Men. An entire floor was filled with rows of desks, the sound of typewriter keys clacking in unison, and people—dozens of them—typing out interoffice memos all day long. That was their job. The whole building depended on them to keep the machine of communication running.
And then, almost overnight, everything changed.
We got computers. Email replaced memos. Those typewriter jobs? Gone.
It was gut-wrenching at first—entire departments made redundant. But within months, we realized something powerful: with email, our speed and reach multiplied. We weren’t bound by paper, filing cabinets, or internal runners anymore. We could connect faster, solve problems quicker, and actually innovate. Yes, jobs disappeared—but far more were created. Entire functions sprang up around digital systems, data, design, and marketing that had never existed in the typewriter era.
That lesson has stuck with me: technology rarely ends work—it transforms it.
The Creative Director and the LLM
Fast-forward to just a few months ago. I was nudging a brilliant creative director to test one of the popular large language models (LLMs) for ad copy. He wanted no part of it.
“Machines can’t do creativity,” he insisted. “They’ll spit out clichés. It’ll be soulless.”
So I proposed a challenge. “Ten minutes. You write ad headlines. I’ll use the LLM. Let’s see what happens.”
He leaned back, smirked, and dove in. Ten minutes later, he slid me a sheet of three headlines—each of them sharp, witty, and dripping with that effortless brilliance creatives are famous for.
I handed him mine: 22 headlines in the same time frame.
He skimmed them, expecting garbage. But then he paused. He re-read one. Smiled at another. And finally looked up, a little shaken: “Some of these are actually…good.”
Then came the confession I’ll never forget: “If AI can do this, what’s the point of me?”
I told him the truth: “In my hands, these headlines are adequate to good. In yours? Out of this world. The LLM isn’t your replacement—it’s your amplifier. You just went from craftsman to superhero with a new power tool.”
You could see the wheels turning. That’s the pivot moment we all need: from fear to possibility.
Midjourney and the Mortals vs. the Masters
Here’s another glimpse into how AI separates amateurs from artists.
I use Midjourney, the AI art tool, through Discord. What makes it fascinating is the transparency—you see not just the images people create, but the prompts they use.
Mine are usually simple: a couple of sentences about what I want. “A futuristic skyline at sunset. Vibrant colors. Cinematic.”
Then I scroll and see what the real creatives write. Their prompts are like mini-novels: three paragraphs of exquisite detail, calling out camera lenses, lighting angles, hex codes, artistic movements, and emotional tones I wouldn’t even think to articulate.
The difference in results? Night and day. My images look like solid stock art. Theirs look like gallery-worthy concept pieces.
And that’s the point: AI didn’t erase the gap between amateurs and masters. It made the gap even wider—because when true talent meets new tools, the output becomes breathtaking.
How to Spot AI Anxiety
So how do you know if you—or your team—are struggling with AI anxiety? Here are some telltale signs:
Avoidance: Brushing off AI tools without even trying them.
Identity Threat: Feeling that if AI can do part of your job, then you have no value.
Comparison Spiral: Measuring your creativity directly against machine output.
Decision Paralysis: Stalling because of fear about what AI might mean for the future.
I’ve seen all of these play out—from the Yellow Pages floor to today’s marketing departments.
How to Fight It
Experiment in small doses. Ten minutes with an LLM can flip a skeptic into a believer.
Redefine your role. AI does the volume; you provide the vision.
Treat AI like an eager intern. Fast, tireless, but in need of your taste and judgment.
Sharpen your craft. The more mastery you bring, the more AI magnifies it.
Research backs this up. McKinsey reports that organizations using AI collaboratively (not as replacement) have seen 30–40% productivity gains—and higher satisfaction from employees who learn to wield the tools rather than fear them.
The Bottom Line
AI will absolutely change work. Some tasks will vanish. But as history shows, the net effect is creation, not destruction.
Think of AI as a spotlight. On its own, it’s just bright light. But when you shine it on real talent—on judgment, creativity, and experience—it magnifies everything.
AI anxiety is natural. But the cure isn’t retreat—it’s engagement. Because in your hands, AI isn’t the end of your career. It’s the start of your superpowers.