{"id":317119,"date":"2025-11-30T21:19:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T21:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/317119\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T21:19:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T21:19:11","slug":"ai-anxiety-is-real-and-its-shaping-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/317119\/","title":{"rendered":"AI anxiety is real and it\u2019s shaping the workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up<\/a> to receive it in your inbox.<\/p>\n

If you walk into a meeting room these days, you might notice something odd: fewer people are speaking up, some are outsourcing their notes to artificial intelligence and others are quietly checking their chatbot for what to say next.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because a new kind of workplace tension is brewing \u2013 and it has everything to do with AI.<\/p>\n

A 2025 survey<\/a> of more than 1,000 full-time workers by recruitment platform Howdy found that as AI becomes more common at work, it\u2019s creating something researchers are calling \u201cAI anxiety\u201d and it\u2019s showing up in very human ways.<\/p>\n

I used to know how to do this myself<\/p>\n

One of the biggest concerns people have is skill loss. Nearly one in four workers say they\u2019re afraid they are losing abilities they used to have and 21 per cent say they\u2019ve already noticed they\u2019re struggling with tasks they used to handle easily, now that AI is doing it for them.<\/p>\n

Some are fully leaning into the tools \u2013 one in 10 workers now say they rely on AI to do their jobs \u2013 while others are wary. In fact, 37 per cent say they judge coworkers who rely on AI, even though they might be doing the same thing themselves.<\/p>\n

And while 28 per cent of workers say AI makes them feel smarter, nearly the same amount say it makes them feel less capable.<\/p>\n

AI is here, but not everyone trusts it<\/p>\n

Even with all the hype, not everyone is convinced AI is the future. More than a third of people surveyed say they believe AI is just a bubble that could burst and cause economic harm. Nearly one in five say their employer\u2019s AI strategy doesn\u2019t feel sustainable, and 19 per cent worry they\u2019ll lose their job because of it.<\/p>\n

Still, people are doing what they can to stay ahead. About a third of workers say they\u2019re already upskilling to stay competitive and 17 per cent are considering going back to school.<\/p>\n

People are bonding with their AI tools and hiding it<\/p>\n

Nearly one in five workers say they\u2019re hiding their use of AI from coworkers. Some go even further \u2013 giving their AI tool a name or interacting with it more than their own team. One in five actually prefer talking to AI over colleagues with remote workers being most inclined. <\/p>\n

In some cases, workers aren\u2019t just relying on AI professionally, they\u2019re turning to it emotionally. Twenty-four per cent use it for stress management, and one in six say they\u2019ve formed friendships or even romantic connections with AI.<\/p>\n

What about Gen Z?<\/p>\n

When the data is segmented, it shows Gen Z workers, many of whom grew up with AI tools, are having a different experience. Nearly half say they\u2019re becoming more reliant on AI in all areas of life and 14 per cent say they already depend fully on it to do their jobs. At the same time, 28 per cent say AI is actually making them \u201cmore stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite that, many are trying to future-proof their career, with 29 per cent planning to pursue a higher degree.<\/p>\n

The takeaway for employers <\/p>\n

AI isn\u2019t going anywhere but, if left unchecked, its overuse could chip away at the very things that keep employees productive, creative and connected. The report suggests employers have an opportunity to help by encouraging thoughtful AI use, investing in digital literacy and doubling down on human connection.<\/p>\n

Fast factProductivity pledges<\/p>\n

49 per cent<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how many business leaders say \u201cproductivity\u201d feels like a buzz word, with more than half admitting it is often discussed but not backed by meaningful change. <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Career guidanceRetirement ready<\/p>\n

It can be hard to know when it\u2019s time to retire. There is no \u2018aha\u2019 moment and there may not always be clear indications that it\u2019s time to close that chapter of your life.<\/p>\n

According to this article in The Wall Street Journal, a few signs it\u2019s time to retire include arriving at work feeling numb, avoiding promotions and feeling gloomy on Sunday evening. <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

QuotedFading fulfillment <\/p>\n

\u201cAcross boardrooms and industries, we are making daily decisions about productivity, cost control and flexibility that, together, could be eroding the belief systems of our people. We may be draining purpose from work, replacing inspiration with compliance and mistaking attendance for engagement. If that continues, we risk not just damaging culture, but quietly dismantling Canada\u2019s economic engine \u2013 employee engagement,\u201d writes chief executive officer of the Human Resources Professional Association Jodi Kovitz. <\/p>\n

Ms. Kovitz says that while macro-level forces will always affect the economy, the everyday choices leaders make play an incredibly important role in inspiring and engaging the workers who drive economic growth. <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

On our radarDiversity deepens?<\/p>\n

A new 2025 survey from BDC Capital shows more women and visible minorities are holding senior roles in venture capital firms they support and inclusive workplace practices are growing. But there\u2019s been a drop in diversity at junior levels and fewer firms are sticking to climate commitments such as carbon neutrality.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317120,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[62,276,277,49,48,2924,22463,22464,22460,22459,1663,22465,124,1412,2922,61,22462,18940,22461],"class_list":{"0":"post-317119","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-career-advice","14":"tag-career-leadership","15":"tag-careers-globe-and-mail","16":"tag-careers-newsletter","17":"tag-careersnewsletter","18":"tag-future-of-work","19":"tag-globe-and-mail-newsletter","20":"tag-jobs","21":"tag-newsletter","22":"tag-noastack","23":"tag-technology","24":"tag-thought-leadership","25":"tag-workplace-culture","26":"tag-your-life-at-work"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317119\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}