Employee's Anxiety Grows As AI Makes Strides

Those studying labor dynamics and economics, appear to agree that Generative AI is a double-edged sword.

According to a new report from Boston Consulting Group, workers' confidence in generative AI has grown over the past year — but so has their anxiety. BCG surveyed over 13,100 respondents, evenly divided between frontline, managerial, and leadership roles.

It found that confidence in generative AI surged 16 percent between 2023 to 2024, but that anxiety did too: about 5 percent. The percentage of workers who worry that AI will eliminate their jobs in the next decade has jumped significantly in the past year.

Frontline workers — those without managerial responsibilities — are most anxious about the technology, with 22% saying they were worried about it compared to 18 percent of managers and 15 percent of leaders.

There's a clear knowledge gap between executives and their employees, too. Only 28 percent of frontline workers reported being trained on how the technology will impact their jobs, compared to 30 percent of managers and 50 percent of leaders. Frontline workers say their top three concerns about generative AI are that they haven't been given enough time to learn about it, sufficient training opportunities, or knowledge of when to use the technology.

"There is undoubtedly a shortage in AI talent," Alex Libre, cofounder and principal recruiter of Einstellen Talent, a service that matches job candidates with generative AI startups, previously told Business Insider.

Companies are trying to address the gap by offering workers upskilling programs.

Others say the goal is to free up humans to do more meaningful work and even get more fulfillment from their jobs. But the worry right now is that AI might draw a line between the haves and have-nots: Those who know how to use AI and keep jobs and those who don't and lose them.