LOSSES / FEARS

AI-related anxiety arises when employees feel that they may lose important resources. These include job security, income and benefits, professional skills, professional identity, workplace relationships, as well as time, motivation, and physical or mental energy.

According to the Conservation of Resources theory, the threat of losing these resources, or their actual loss, causes stress and anxiety. The theory also highlights the phenomenon known as the “loss spiral,” whereby an initial loss can trigger further successive losses, gradually intensifying employees’ levels of stress and psychological pressure.

To mitigate the negative effects of AI implementation, the authors recommend collaboration among employees, managers, and organizations. Proposed solutions include digital skills training programs, the development of coping strategies, greater awareness, and the establishment of clear policies governing the use of artificial intelligence.

The study also proposes directions for future research, such as integrating digital technologies—particularly blockchain and IoT systems—into sustainable production chains in order to increase transparency and consumer trust. Future studies could also examine how digital sustainability information influences purchasing intentions and compare the effectiveness of conventional eco-labels with interactive digital methods of presenting information.

LINK:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395201916_JobRelated_Anxiety_in_the_Age_of_Artificial_Intelligence_A_Systematic_Review_of_Workplace_Dynamics

Dr. Debra Soh, a neuroscientist and researcher specializing in sexology, discusses the impact of artificial intelligence on the adult-content industry.

Online, AI has already begun taking market share away from human creators. Platforms such as OnlyFans, Fansly, and chat-based websites are particularly vulnerable for several reasons: AI models do not get tired or age and can generate thousands of customized images and videos every day at virtually no cost.

Many users paid human creators not only for images but also for conversation and personal attention in chat. Today, AI chatbots can engage in highly intimate conversations, audio deepfakes can reproduce warm, human-like voices, and algorithms can remember every detail about a client, such as their birthday and preferences. For the average user seeking only quick validation and fantasy, AI becomes a cheaper alternative that is available around the clock.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZDmaivLaqg

According to researchers, AIRD (Artificial Intelligence-Related Distress Syndrome) may manifest differently from one person to another, but it generally revolves around the loss of professional identity, a diminished sense of usefulness, and chronic stress. Some individuals may even downplay or deny the relevance of AI as a coping mechanism. Early warning signs may include insomnia and persistent anxiety.

LINK:https://www.dagens.com/technology/ai/ai-job-fears-may-be-triggering-a-new-mental-health-crisis-researchers-warn

It is not yet clear exactly when artificial intelligence will become sufficiently advanced to replace certain white-collar workers, nor how many jobs it will ultimately be capable of taking over. Nevertheless, fears about its potential impact are already prompting people to change their career paths, reshaping the labor market before automation has fully taken hold.

LINK:https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2026/feb/20/ai-future-work-technology-white-collar

Work passion is a crucial concept in the professional environment and is generally defined as employees’ willingness to invest time and energy in their work. The workplace is a significant motivational factor for positive performance and innovation among employees and is vital to organizational success. However, in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, this passion is increasingly being shaped by emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). The wave of technological change driven by AI is currently reshaping the workplace.

LINK: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825008005

The study uses the Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale, developed by Li and Huang (2020), to assess the level of anxiety generated by the development of artificial intelligence in the workplace.

LINK: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12360261/

AI-driven job losses may not only make it more difficult for affected workers to find new employment in the short term, but may also leave a long-lasting “scar” that remains visible for many years. According to a new research report published by Goldman Sachs, this could translate into lower earnings, delayed homeownership, and even a lower likelihood of marriage.

LINK: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/07/economy/ai-job-losses-long-term-effects

The text explores the idea that algorithms and artificial intelligence today function in ways similar to UFO mythology and the mystical experiences of the past. Author Emily Martin argues that algorithmic feeds, chatbots, and generative AI can produce psychological experiences resembling “close encounters” with non-human entities: users experience fascination, a loss of control, strange synchronicities, and the feeling that they are receiving personal messages or revelations.

The central concept is “algorithmic hierophany” – the idea that technology has become a kind of modern sacred revelation. Just as religious experiences or UFO encounters seemed to reveal a hidden reality, algorithms appear to offer access to some higher truth, even though they operate through opaque, mechanical systems. The author compares experiences with AI to phenomena such as alien abductions, hypnosis, mystical visions, and religious delusions.

The essay draws on the theories of Jacques Vallée, who viewed the UFO phenomenon as a “control system” based on confusion and absurdity, and Mircea Eliade, who defined “hierophany” as the manifestation of the sacred in the ordinary world. In this context, the phone, the screen, and the algorithm become new sacred objects through which people experience transcendence.

The text also discusses recent cases of people developing obsessive or mystical relationships with AI, including users convinced that chatbots are communicating with God, extraterrestrials, or other dimensions. Online communities interpret AI responses as spiritual revelations, while the behavior of chatbots – which tend to affirm and mirror the user’s emotions – can intensify paranoia or delusional thinking.

The essay’s final argument is that absurdity and confusion are not accidents, but mechanisms through which algorithms influence human perception. We live in a reality where images, messages, and AI shape our attention, desires, and beliefs in an almost hypnotic way. The digital world thus becomes a new form of mythology and mysticism, built around algorithmic feedback, emotional manipulation, and the constant sensation of being in “contact” with something beyond the human.

LINK: https://www.sum.si/journal-articles/algorithmic-hierophany