Workers are seeking therapy because of AI-generated anxiety, a deeper fear of losing a job
For a growing number of workers, job anxiety is no longer just about performance reviews or layoffs. It’s about something that’s hard to see — and hard to get past.artificial intelligence. According to a recent CNBC report, therapists across the United States say more workers are bringing AI-related concerns to therapy sessions, describing everything from job loss to a persistent feeling that their skills — and even their professional identity — may no longer matter.“Some clients have lost their jobs because of AI, which is something we’ve addressed in our sessions,” Emma Coppell, a trauma counselor in Denver, told CNBC.
Many of her patients express “shock, disbelief, and fear about navigating a changing career landscape where their skills are no longer needed.”This concern has become increasingly common. More than a third of workers — 38% — say they worry that artificial intelligence will make some or all of their job duties obsolete, according to a July 2025 American Psychological Association poll cited in the report.For therapists, emotional style is remarkably consistent.
“What I hear most often is the fear of becoming obsolete,” Harvey Lieberman, a New York-based clinical psychologist, told CNBC. He added that as artificial intelligence advances, people begin to question their “judgment, choices or future.”
When job loss is existential
Unlike traditional layoffs, AI-related displacement can lead to a deeper decline. Losing a role to technology often feels less like a business decision and more like a judgment on one’s worth.“It may seem as if the universe is saying, ‘You are no longer needed,’” Ben Yalom, a psychotherapist from San Diego, said in a CNBC report.
He explained that this experience “delves into issues of personal value,” making it more destabilizing than the usual downsizing.The numbers reinforce why these fears feel real. AI was a factor in nearly 55,000 layoffs in the US in 2025, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas data cited by CNBC, and a recent study by MIT found that AI could actually replace nearly 11% of the US job market.Major employers openly acknowledge this shift. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said the company let go of 4,000 customer support employees after artificial intelligence began handling about half of that workload.
Companies like Accenture and Lufthansa have also pointed to AI as part of their recent restructuring efforts, according to CNBC.For workers stuck in the middle, uncertainty can be psychologically exhausting — especially when companies don’t clearly explain whether AI has played a role.“They are left in a gray area that increases anxiety and self-doubt,” Lieberman said.
A professional crisis – and a moment to reflect
Rhianna Elise Anderson, a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor at Columbia University, summed up the emotional fallout succinctly in a CNBC report: “People don’t know where they fit into this new society.”For decades, obvious career paths — learning to code, getting into technology, climbing the corporate ladder — promised stability. Now that promise seems even more fragile.But therapists also see opportunity hidden within this disorder.“Our society is changing rapidly,” Koppel said. “Allow yourself to grieve and soothe the parts of you that are feeling shocked, hopeless, and afraid right now.”Anderson encourages workers to pause the urgent search for the “right” career that will guarantee their future, and instead think more broadly.
“Do some inventory,” she said. “Maybe at this time, take stock of your identity.”For some, this may mean going back to school or switching industries. For others, it’s about loosening the grip between identity and job title.“You are so much more than just your work,” Koppel emphasized, reminding clients that skills — like bodies — change over time, but self-worth doesn’t have to go away with them.
Taking back control in the AI-driven workplace
While anxiety is understandable, therapists warn against retreating into despair.“Learning enough about AI to understand where it truly changes business, and where it doesn’t, often restores a sense of power,” Lieberman said in a CNBC report.Career coach Rhiannon Batchelder echoed this sentiment, noting that many workers are already being asked to help automate parts of their jobs. In that environment, familiarity with the basics of AI can be empowering, she said.“For most workers, understanding the basics of AI will be an asset,” Batchelder told CNBC.
“In times of uncertainty, information is always powerful.”As artificial intelligence continues to transform the workplace, therapists interviewed by CNBC agree on one thing: Fear is real, rational, and deeply human. The challenge now is to help workers navigate not only new technologies, but redefine what it means to be valuable in a rapidly changing world.
