‘A fear of becoming obsolete’
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Emma Kobil, a trauma counselor in Denver, began noticing a new topic coming up with her patients over the past few years: artificial intelligence.
“I have had clients who have lost their jobs due to artificial intelligence, and this is something we focus on in our sessions,” Kobil said. Often, he said, they express “shock, disbelief and fear about moving forward in a changing career environment where their skills are no longer needed.”
Other therapists said the technology also disturbed their patients.
“The thing I hear most often is the fear of becoming obsolete,” said Harvey Lieberman, a clinical psychologist in New York. “People begin to question their judgment, their choices, or their future.”
According to a July 2025 survey, more than a third (38 percent) of employees said they were concerned that AI would make some or all job duties obsolete in the future. questionnaire By the American Psychological Association.
Rhiannon Batchelder, a Denver-based career coach, said those fears are not unfounded.
“Some employees are being asked to create presentations on how AI could take over some of their jobs,” Batchelder said. he said. “Amid news of mass layoffs as CEO salaries continue to rise, being replaced by technology feels like yet another reason to lose hope in the possibility of a stable, fulfilling career.”
Artificial intelligence was a major factor leading to nearly 55,000 layoffs in the U.S. by 2025, according to December data from consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Overall, approximately 1.2 million people were laid off during the year.
Meanwhile, a recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that AI could currently replace about 11% of the US labor market.
sales forceCEO Marc Benioff said 4,000 customer support employees were laid off because AI was doing 50% of the work at the company. Other companies that drew attention to artificial intelligence in their recent restructuring moves were technology consultancy firm Accenture and the airline group. Lufthansa.
“People don’t know where they fit into this new society,” said Riana Elyse Anderson, a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor at Columbia University. “We probably don’t know exactly how psychologically damaging this type of replacement is.”
Here’s what therapists have to say about employees’ AI anxiety and what they can do to feel better.
‘He delves deeply into issues of personal value’
Ben Yalom, a San Diego-based psychotherapist, said losing your job to AI could trigger a series of existential questions.
“You may feel like the universe is saying, ‘You are no longer needed,’ which can be much more profound and disturbing than ‘Our company is downsizing’ or even ‘You’re not doing a great job,'” Yalom said. “It touches deeply on issues of personal worth, which is very disturbing.”
Kobil said that underneath these feelings, there is usually a younger part who is afraid of “being left behind or ‘not being enough’, and this fear is further increased because technology makes us feel very fast and out of our control.”
Lieberman said people could suffer even more when it’s unclear whether the layoff was caused by AI.
“They remain in a gray zone that increases anxiety and self-doubt,” Lieberman said.
‘You are much more than what you do’
Kobil said that workers who know or think that they have lost their jobs because of artificial intelligence or who are struggling with the changes brought by technology should first “feel the loss”.
“Our society is changing rapidly,” Kobil said. “Allow yourself to grieve and comfort the parts of you that feel shocked, hopeless, and scared right now.”
Anderson has said for decades that studying computer science and learning to code was his “ticket to success” for a “long, successful career.” This may no longer be the case.
But the disruptive and uncertain moment can also be a chance for reflection, Anderson said. As an exercise, he recommends pausing any pursuit to determine what will lead to a stable, lucrative career, “because that may not be fully known at this time.” Instead, ask yourself: What do you want to do?
“Do some inventory,” Anderson said. “Maybe evaluate who you are right now.” He added that some people may decide to return to school or make a career change.
Our society is changing rapidly.
Emma Kobil
psychotherapist
As you ask yourself deeper questions about what you want, try to create some distance between you and your work, Kobil said.
“We are all experiencing a big change,” Kobil said. “For example, we all lose our youthful bodies, but we are not our bodies, any more than we have the ability to write code or manage others. You are much more than what you do.”
Reestablishing a ‘sense of agency’
Lieberman said the increasing role of AI in the workplace can be overwhelming, but “retreating to avoidance or despair tends to narrow down options rather than preserve them.”
“Learning enough to understand whether AI is truly changing business often restores a sense of agency,” he said.
Yes many ways start learning about technology, including certificate programs And free dealssaid Batchelder.
“For most employees, understanding the basics of AI will be an asset, especially as we wait to see how the technology advances,” he said. “In times of uncertainty, information is always powerful.”
