New research finds 56% of workers fear AI could replace some or all of their work within five years, rising to 66% of Gen Z.
CUMMING, GA, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Artificial intelligence has moved from pilot program to everyday expectation in American workplaces, and the worry that came with it is following workers home. A new survey from The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center Georgia finds that nearly half of workers (49%) say
worrying about AI at work has affected their mental health or well-being, rising to 71% among Gen Z. More of them turned to an AI chatbot for reassurance (9%) than to a therapist, counselor, doctor, or other professional (6%).The survey of 1,000 U.S. workers examined how AI is reshaping working life, from job security and workload to what people do after hours to stay employable and where they turn when the worry builds. Among workers who reported AI-related stress, 77% sought help from neither a professional nor a chatbot. The findings suggest a workforce absorbing much of this pressure privately, with the youngest workers carrying the heaviest share.
Key Takeaways
• 49% say worrying about AI at work has affected their mental health or well-being, including 71% of Gen Z and 28% of baby boomers.
• 9% turned to an AI chatbot for emotional support or reassurance about AI at work, compared with 6% who went to a professional. Among Gen Z, chatbot use reaches 17%.
• 56% are concerned AI could replace some or all of their work within five years, rising to 66% of Gen Z and falling to 38% of baby boomers.
• 30% feel less secure in their job or career than a year ago, including 42% of Gen Z.
• 33% say expectations for how much they should complete went up after AI was adopted at work, while 7% say expectations went down.
• 64% have done something in the past year to prove their value or avoid looking replaceable, including 78% of Gen Z.
• 19% avoided asking for help at work so they would not seem replaceable (28% of Gen Z), and 17% worked while sick for the same reason.
• 51% applied for or seriously considered a new job for an AI-related reason in the past year, including 77% of Gen Z and 27% of baby boomers.
A Mental Health Toll That Mostly Goes Untreated
Increased stress or anxiety was the most common way AI worry showed up, reported by 17% of workers. Close behind were lower confidence in professional abilities (16%), lower motivation at work (15%), and emotional exhaustion or burnout (14%). Smaller shares reported worry about paying bills or maintaining financial stability (13%), trouble sleeping (12%), and trouble concentrating (11%).
The toll falls sharply with age. Seven in 10 Gen Z workers (71%) reported at least one effect, compared with 46% of millennials, 35% of Gen X, and 28% of baby boomers. More than a quarter of Gen Z (28%) said AI has made them less confident in their professional skills, against 6% of boomers. The findings suggest that workers with the shortest track record may be most shaken as entry-level tasks are automated.
Gen Z was also the generation most likely to seek help of any kind, with 17% turning to chatbots and 12% to professionals. Men were more than twice as likely as women to use a chatbot (12% vs. 5%), while 6% of each saw a professional. Women were more likely to worry about paying bills (16% vs. 11% of men). The gap between chatbot and clinician may reflect how private and immediate a chatbot feels, though it also means many workers are seeking reassurance about AI from AI itself.
Gen Z Feels the Most Replaceable
More than half of workers (56%) are concerned AI could replace some or all of their work within five years, including 15% who are extremely concerned. That concern climbs with each younger generation, from 38% of baby boomers to 51% of Gen X, 57% of millennials, and 66% of Gen Z. Nearly a quarter of Gen Z (24%) say they are extremely concerned.
Three in 10 workers (30%) feel less secure about their job or career than a year ago, while 20% feel more secure. Gen Z workers were twice as likely as boomers to feel less secure (42% vs. 21%), and boomers were far more likely to report no change (51% vs. 27%). Women also carried more of this worry. A third (33%) were extremely or very concerned about replacement, compared with 26% of men, and 34% felt less secure than a year ago, versus 26% of men. Men were more likely to say their position had improved (25% vs. 16%).
AI Saves Time, and Workloads Fill It
More than two in five workers (42%) said AI reduces the time their tasks take, including 11% who called the reduction substantial. Another 18% said it has little or no effect, and 14% said it adds time. Yet a third (33%) said expectations for their output rose once AI was adopted, nearly five times the share who said expectations fell (7%). The most common workplace changes workers reported after AI arrived were:
• Employees expected to complete more work using AI (27%)
• Responsibilities reduced or reassigned (24%)
• Coworkers relying on AI-generated work without checking it (18%)
• Employees told to use AI without adequate guidance or training (17%)
• Layoffs or role eliminations linked to AI or automation (16%)
Income shaped who saw the shift. A third of workers earning $150,000 or more (34%) said employees were expected to do more with AI, compared with 20% of those earning under $50,000. But 46% of the highest earners said expectations for their own output had not changed, more than double the 22% of those earning under $50,000. The findings suggest the added load may be landing hardest further down the pay scale.
Upskilling on Their Own Time
Just over half of workers (51%) have felt pressure to improve their AI skills to stay competitive. The share who have never felt that pressure ranges from 12% of Gen Z to 38% of baby boomers. More than a quarter (27%) have practiced with AI tools outside normal work hours, 24% completed an AI course or certification in the past year, and 12% paid out of pocket for AI software, training, or education.
Gen Z workers were nearly three times as likely as boomers to complete an AI course (32% vs. 12%), while millennials were the most likely to pay for training themselves (19%, compared with 12% of Gen Z and 6% of boomers). Men were more likely than women to complete a course (30% vs. 18%) and to worry that coworkers using AI more have an advantage over them (46% vs. 36%). With no shared standard yet for AI competence, the gap may say as much about who feels compelled to document their skills as about who has them.
The Quiet Work of Seeming Indispensable
Nearly two-thirds of workers (64%) did something in the past year to prove their value or avoid looking replaceable. The total comes from many small behaviors rather than one dominant one:
• Made themselves more available to managers or coworkers (22%)
• Worked beyond scheduled hours (21%)
• Answered work messages outside normal hours (20%)
• Took on additional tasks without additional pay (19%)
• Delayed or skipped time off (16%)
• Overstated their AI skills or claimed AI use they had not done (15%)
The behavior was most common among Gen Z (78%), followed by millennials (64%), Gen X (54%), and baby boomers (46%). A quarter of Gen Z (26%) overstated their AI skills, compared with 15% of millennials, 10% of boomers, and 6% of Gen X, and 23% of Gen Z avoided setting any limits on their workload, against 6% of boomers. Because asking for help and setting limits are what keep a workload sustainable, the findings suggest the youngest workers may be giving up both early in their careers.
Job Hunting Away From AI, and Running Into It
Half of workers (51%) applied for or seriously considered a new job for an AI-related reason in the past year, the widest generational spread in the study. That includes 77% of Gen Z, 47% of millennials, 36% of Gen X, and 27% of baby boomers. Many were drawn by greater job security (45%) or a role that seemed less likely to be automated (35%), while 31% were drawn by an employer offering more AI training. More than a third (36%) considered a role specifically because it required less AI use, rising to 58% among Gen Z.
The search itself often ran through AI. Nearly a quarter of workers (24%) applied without knowing whether a person would review their application, and 19% never heard from a human at all. In response, 18% rewrote their resume to pass automated screening (31% of Gen Z), 14% used an AI tool to write or revise application materials, and 8% withdrew from an application because the process felt overly automated.
Taken together, the findings describe stress that rarely announces itself as a problem. Lost sleep, eroded confidence, and after-hours availability can each be explained away on their own, which may be why so few workers have sought care for them, even though anxiety and burnout of this kind tend to respond to treatment, particularly when addressed early.
View the full study here:
https://sylviabrafmangeorgia.com/blog/ai-anxiety-at-work-study/
About
The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center Georgia is a residential mental health and dual diagnosis treatment provider in Cumming, just north of Atlanta, offering short-term and long-term inpatient care for adults in a small setting with predominantly private rooms. Accredited by The Joint Commission and licensed by the Georgia Department of Community Health, the center treats conditions including anxiety, depression, and burnout. Its approach addresses clinical, psychiatric, medical, spiritual, and vocational needs together, including a dedicated Career Launch Program for people whose work and mental health have become hard to separate.
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