Worry about AI at work is rising. The APA's 2026 Work in America survey found 48% of US workers worry AI could make some or all of their duties obsolete. That is the highest figure since it began asking.
Stanford's AI Index 2026 reports a similar mood worldwide. 59% of people say they feel optimistic about AI, yet 52% say it makes them nervous. Many people feel both at once.
Competence anxiety and relevance anxiety
Older research on technostress, from Brod in 1984 to Tarafdar and colleagues in 2019, focused mainly on competence. People felt stressed when they lacked the skills for a new system. Training and practice helped.
AI adds a second worry. People ask whether they can learn the tools. They also ask whether there will still be a meaningful role for them once they have.
We call that second worry algorithmic anxiety. It is about relevance and identity. Training answers the first question and leaves the second untouched.
Four triggers managers can see
Unclear evaluation. People worry when they do not know how their work is judged against AI output. Say clearly what you value and how you assess it.
Constant monitoring. Real-time tracking of output keeps people on edge. Measure outcomes that matter, and explain what is tracked and why.
Blurred roles. Stress rises when people are unsure which tasks are theirs, which are AI's and which are shared. Draw the line explicitly.
Comparison with machines. AI can draft faster than any person. Constant comparison with that speed erodes confidence. Point to the judgement and relationships only people provide.
Build this capability in your organisation
Growth Performance designs bespoke programmes that turn insight into measurable behaviour change.
Why hidden anxiety is costly
Microsoft's 2026 Work Trend Index found 65% of AI users fear falling behind. Yet only 13% say they are rewarded for reinventing their work.
That combination pushes worry underground. In the UK, the CIPD Good Work Index 2026 found 45% of employees using generative AI do not trust its output to be accurate. Two-thirds had received no AI training.
What this means for managers
Anxiety that cannot be voiced turns into hidden use, quiet resistance or exit. Making it safe to speak is how people come to take on the change, which is Adoption.
Name it. Say that uncertainty about AI is a reasonable response to real change.
Make the human contribution explicit. Connect each person's work to the judgement, relationships and context AI cannot supply.
Be honest about change. Say what you know, what you do not know and when you will know more.
Try this
Ask your team one question at your next meeting: what worries you most about AI in your role? Listen without fixing anything.
Then take the Adoption Condition Diagnostic to see how well people are taking on the change.