Anxiety in the age of AI

Anyone who’s on LinkedIn will have almost certainly noticed the regular flow of a new style of posts: “It’s not just this, it’s that.”

An example: “AI isn’t just changing the game, it’s re-writing it.”

This is a classic tell that the writing was written (or at least influenced) by AI. It might be that everyone is using AI to write their posts. But it could also be that we are changing the way we write because of AI. Perhaps we see, read and interact so much with it so much, that now we’re starting to copy it.

Either way, AI is influencing the way we behave. And that’s just one tiny change.

Based on conversations I’ve had (and podcasts I’ve heard) over the last 3 years, it’s fair to say that the anxiety around AI is real. It’s becoming a true test of our resilience because it combines three things our brains dislike: uncertainty, loss of control, and a perceived threat to our identity.

So how are we going to be able to stay steady and calm to find a way forward in a world that’s changing faster than we can process it?

Anxiety tends to increase in the gap between what we know and what we imagine. It’s that future world of “what if?” that we can get stuck in, and AI is creating a big gap that, depending on how we view the world, can often fill with the worst-case scenarios:

• My role might disappear

• I’m already behind

• I have to learn a whole new skillset

These concerns are legitimate. It’s fair to think that there is going to be some disruption and upheaval, and that’s why I think resilience can be our secret weapon. It’s our way of facing the uncertainty without allowing it to paralyze us.

Why do we fear change, and what can we do about it?

Our brains are prediction machines. We feel safer when we know what to expect, which is why change can feel uncomfortable. When the future becomes uncertain, the brain becomes more vigilant, constantly scanning for signs of danger and preparing us for what might go wrong. That response comes in handy in a real emergency, but too much of it can keep the nervous system activated, even when the threat exists mainly in our imagination.

And AI anxiety goes beyond the employment question. It also threatens our competence levels, our status, identity, and perhaps even what we believe we have control over. Sometimes it feels like the future of the world is being decided by 10-12 people in Silicon Valley and we have no real say.

Knowing that there is change ahead, here are a few tools I’m using to find a way through it all.

1. Change is part of life.

   As the saying goes “everything changes except the law of change.” It’s the fabric of nature that things evolve constantly. The first step to releasing these feelings of anxiety is to let go of the permanence that we want to cling to. I’ll admit that this can be quite difficult but, as an example, even acknowledging that we have four seasons is a small step that can feel refreshing and lighter.

2. Name the specific fear

   “I’m anxious about AI” feels too large and vague to solve. Perhaps we should explore what the exact thing we are afraid of is. Is it losing a job, having to learn something unfamiliar, or becoming less valuable? Naming the fear turns a cloud of anxiety into something more tangible that we can examine. It also allows us to gently pull ourselves away from our emotional brain into a logical state that feels more manageable.

3. Shrink the time horizon

   Anxiety tries to make us solve the next 20 steps in our mind. What if we were to shrink it down to just the next possible (most useful) step? That could mean testing one tool or watching one tutorial. Right now we are most likely in the messy middle, which is that rollercoaster ride where we’re trying to get from not knowing to knowing. It’s messy for a reason, but we only have to worry about te next little step to take.

4. Shift from threat to curiosity

   Curiosity is such a powerful tool in both life and work. It opens up a world of possibilities, keeps us open-minded, and helps us pay attention to what’s around us. Every time we neglect curiosity, we’re admitting to ourselves that we already know enough. It helps to imagine (and invite) a world in which we don’t know everything. We ask genuine questions which can open up opportunities. When we get curious and pay attention to the answers, it becomes the lens through which we view change.

5. Double down on being human

   This aligns nicely with the curiosity angle and helps us explore how valuable human capabilities are likely to become in a world that is producing the average at scale. These traits includes empathy, judgement, trust, courage, storytelling, ethical thinking, and (perhaps most importantly) the ability to make another person feel understood. This is our opportunity to become more intentionally human.

No matter what the impact is of AI, our confidence to navigate the future is going to grow from trusting that we can learn, adjust and respond when it does. That’s why resilience can be an incredibly powerful skill in this shifting landscape. It allows us to find a way forward through the messiest and wildest of times, perhaps even using them to our advantage.

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carré at Resilient Minds

I help individuals, teams, and young people build the resilience skills to meet life’s challenges with greater confidence and calm. Whether you want to feel healthier and happier, perform better under pressure, or navigate change more effectively, resilience provides the tools to keep moving forward. Reply here to explore training for your team or one-to-one coaching.