New U.S. Workplace Term "FOBO": AI Intensifies Fear of Becoming Obsolete
In 2026, a new psychological phenomenon known as "FOBO" has emerged in the U.S. workplace, reflecting deep-seated employee anxiety about being replaced by AI. Surveys indicate that 40% of employees worry about losing their jobs to AI, while 63% believe that AI makes the work environment feel less human. Despite the rapid advancement of AI capabilities, actual deployment within enterprises remains relatively slow.
According to Fortune magazine, a new psychological phenomenon—FOBO (Fear of Becoming Obsolete)—has emerged in the U.S. workplace in 2026: the fear of becoming obsolete. This emotion differs from traditional job-loss anxiety, reflecting a deeper concern about one’s personal value and professional relevance.
AI Intensifies Workplace Unease
According to survey data from KPMG, 40% of employees identify "job loss due to AI" as their primary source of anxiety, while 63% of respondents believe that AI is making the work environment feel less human. As technology rapidly permeates the workplace, such sentiments are becoming mainstream.
At the same time, the pace of change in job skill requirements has accelerated significantly, increasing by 66% compared to a year ago. This quickened tempo of skill iteration has left many employees worried that their own capabilities are being rapidly marginalized.
Predictions from Executives and Politicians Further Amplify Anxiety
Public predictions from corporate executives and policy makers have also, to some extent, reinforced this sense of unease.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, stated that AI could eliminate 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years.
Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, expressed a similar viewpoint.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner warned that the pace of AI's impact is exceeding industry expectations, predicting that the unemployment rate for new graduates could reach 35% within two years.
These statements have further amplified concerns among the workforce regarding future stability.
MIT Study: AI is More Like a "Slowly Rising Tide"
However, the FutureTech team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) holds a different view on the pace at which AI is impacting the labor market. Their research indicates that the changes brought by AI are more akin to a "slowly rising tide" rather than a sudden "giant wave."
After analyzing 3,000 types of work tasks and 17,000 evaluations, the team found:
AI is already capable of completing 50% to 75% of text-based work at a minimum acceptable quality;
By the third quarter of 2024, frontier models could complete 50% of the equivalent of a "human day's workload";
It is estimated that by 2029, AI's success rate on most text-based tasks will reach 80% to 95%.
The study suggests that despite the rapid improvement in capabilities, full automation will still take time to progress.
Enterprise Deployment Progress Still Lags Behind
In contrast to the rapid advancement of technical capabilities, the actual implementation of AI in enterprises remains relatively slow. Goldman Sachs data shows:
Currently, less than 19% of U.S. companies have actually deployed AI;
This proportion is expected to rise to only 22.3% in the next six months;
Only about one-third of employees have received adequate AI training.
Furthermore, in industries with low error tolerance, such as law and healthcare, there remains a natural buffer zone for the promotion of AI.
How to Deal with "FOBO"?
The MIT study concludes that while AI's progress is astonishing, true full automation has not yet arrived. In the face of FOBO sentiments, the key lies in how to adjust perception—viewing AI as a tool rather than a threat is an effective strategy for alleviating fear and achieving human-machine collaboration.