New survey shows emotional toll of AI anxiety, employee monitoring

The threat of losing a job to artificial intelligence is taking a toll on employee mental health, according to a new survey from the American Psychological Association (APA).

The poll of 2,515 U.S. adults, conducted in April 2023, found that more than one-third of respondents feared that AI might make some or all of their job duties "obsolete."

Stress was high amongst many of those respondents; nearly two-thirds reported feeling tense or stressed during the workday. By contrast, only 38 percent of people who weren't worried about AI had similar stress levels.

Half of the group worried about AI also said their job negatively affected their mental health. Those participants showed signs of burnout like irritability or anger, emotional exhaustion, keeping to themselves, and feeling unmotivated, less productive, and ineffective.

Younger workers, employees of color, and those with a high school degree or less were more worried about AI's effect on jobs than other adults surveyed.

The poll also found that a greater percentage of people who are monitored at work characterized their mental health as poor or fair, compared to those who are not surveilled in their workplace.

Dr. Dennis P. Stolle, senior director of applied psychology at the APA, told Mashable that the findings are likely more than a coincidence, given how many respondents expressed negative emotions while also worrying about AI and demonstrating resentment toward employee monitoring.

The survey, however, didn't determine whether fear of job loss due to AI or frustration with monitoring directly caused diminished employee well-being. It's possible that workers who are unhappy or stressed, perhaps because of a toxic workplace, might be primed to be more fearful of AI or angrier about monitoring.

Stolle suggested that both scenarios are probably true: The unknowns of AI, along with the pressures of monitoring, are worsening mental health for some employees, while others are already distressed by their workplace culture and susceptible to new, related challenging emotions. Both can cause a vicious cycle of negative emotions, he added.

"People should not be living in fear"

Stolle said the results are a signal to employers to take employee concerns seriously and to practice open, honest communication about their policies.

He noted that in the absence of candor and transparency, dread can dominate. Moreover, employees can lose their sense of agency, particularly if their behavior is consistently monitored.

At a minimum, Stole said "people should not be living in fear when they're at work."

When given the opportunity to comment on ways employers could boost employee mental health, multiple survey respondents specifically said they wanted monitoring to end.

"Stop invading my privacy," said one person. Another declared, "I do not need monitoring."

Compared to unmonitored workers, those under surveillance were more likely to report feeling like they don't matter at their workplace or to their employer, that they're not valued, that they're micromanaged, and that new technologies will eventually do their job.

Stolle said that the onus should be on employers to empower their workers to feel safe enough to share their feedback, and then listen to and act on that input.

What a tech-stressed employee should do

Still, he said that employees who feel stressed by AI job displacement and monitoring can take steps to meaningfully cope with those emotions and reclaim their sense of agency.

Workers concerned about AI, for example, can learn about and attempt to leverage the technology for their own career gains.

Stolle recommended seeking social support from coworkers eager to talk constructively about the problems they face without becoming too negative. Such discussions could happen through union meetings, if a workplace is unionized, or through an employee resource group dedicated to technology. Those conversations could potentially lead to "creative, reasonable proposals" that workers present to their employer.

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Employees should also complete any anonymous satisfaction surveys offered by their employer as a less risky way of voicing their opinion, whether on AI, monitoring, or another workplace topic.

Finally, it's important for stressed employees to let their loved ones know what they're dealing with at work. They can be a key source of support, especially if they understand what's causing the tension.

Stolle said there's hope for change when workers feel free and safe to communicate their concerns.

"When those kinds of conversations are happening, there's at least the potential for good things to happen," he said. "If those conversations are too scary for people to have, then it's just never going to get any better."