Workers across industries are pouring out fears of artificial intelligence erasing their careers in therapy sessions, with psychologists reporting a surge in clients gripped by dread of irrelevance. “What I hear most often is a fear of becoming obsolete,” said Harvey Lieberman, a clinical psychologist in New York, as detailed in a CNBC report. This anxiety strikes at the core of professional identity, amplified by headlines of tech giants wielding AI to slash jobs.

More than a third—or 38%—of workers said they worry AI will make some or all of their job duties outdated in the future, according to a July 2025 survey by the American Psychological Association. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found that AI can already replace around 11% of the U.S. labor market, fueling real-world displacements. AI was a major factor in nearly 55,000 U.S. layoffs in 2025, per December data from consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, amid a total of 1.2 million job cuts.

Therapists Unpack the Obsolescence Dread

“I’ve had clients lose their jobs due to AI, and it’s something we’ve processed in our sessions,” said Emma Kobil, a trauma counselor in Denver. Clients express “shock, disbelief and fear about navigating a changing career landscape where their skills are no longer needed.” Rhiannon Batchelder, a career coach in Denver, noted that some employees are asked to create pitches for how AI can take over portions of their job, compounding despair amid mass layoffs and rising CEO pay.

“People don’t know where they fit into this new society,” said Riana Elyse Anderson, a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor at Columbia University. “We probably don’t even know the full extent of how psychologically damaging this type of replacement is.” Ben Yalom, a San Diego-based psychotherapist, described it as feeling like “the universe is saying, ‘You are no longer needed,’ which may feel much more profound and disturbing than ‘Our company is downsizing.’”

Real Layoffs Fuel Therapy Sessions

Tech behemoths led the charge: Amazon announced 14,000 corporate role cuts in October, with senior vice president Beth Galetti stating, “This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet.” Microsoft cut around 15,000 jobs through 2025, including 9,000 in July, as CEO Satya Nadella emphasized building “an intelligence engine empowering every person.” Salesforce slashed 4,000 customer support roles, with CEO Marc Benioff saying, “I’ve reduced it from 9,000 heads to about 5,000, because I need less heads,” according to a CNBC analysis.

IBM replaced jobs of a few hundred HR workers with AI chatbots, per CEO Arvind Krishna, while Crowdstrike laid off 5% of its workforce (500 employees) in May, with CEO George Kurtz calling AI a “force multiplier.” Workday cut 8.5% of staff (around 1,750 jobs) in February to invest in AI. These moves leave workers in a “gray zone that magnifies anxiety and self-doubt,” Lieberman observed.

Even AI Pioneers Feel the Sting

AI anxiety permeates even its creators. Veteran Microsoft researcher Chris Brockett suffered a panic attack upon seeing AI replicate his decades of skills, thinking, “My 52-year-old body had one of those moments when I saw a future where I wasn’t involved,” as recounted in Cade Metz’s book *Genius Makers*. Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, admitted on the “Hard Fork” podcast: “I think of all the times when I wrote code. It’s like a part of my identity that I’m good at this. And then I’m like, oh, my god, there’s going to be these (AI) systems that [can perform a lot better than I can].”

ManpowerGroup’s 2026 Global Talent Barometer, surveying nearly 14,000 workers across 19 countries, revealed AI adoption jumped 13% in 2025 but confidence plunged 18%, with a 35% drop among baby boomers. “AI adoption is accelerating, but confidence is collapsing,” said Mara Stefan, VP of global insights at ManpowerGroup, in a Fortune article. “Workers are being handed tools without training, context, or support.” Sixty-four percent are “job hugging” out of fear, despite burnout.

Coping Strategies from the Front Lines

Therapists urge action over avoidance. “Retreating into avoidance or despair tends to narrow options rather than protect them,” Lieberman advised. “Learning enough about AI to understand where it genuinely alters work, and where it does not, often restores a sense of agency.” Kobil encourages grieving: “Allow yourself to grieve and comfort the parts of you that feel shocked, hopeless and afraid right now.”

Anderson recommends an inventory: “Do some inventory. Maybe at this time, take stock of who you are.” Batchelder stresses basics: “For most workers, understanding the basics of AI will be an asset.” Companies like IBM and Accenture have launched “AI academies” for retraining, countering the 56% of workers reporting no skills development. “People aren’t afraid of AI,” Stefan noted, “but they are afraid of being left behind by it.”

Broader Echoes on Social Media

Discussions on X amplify the tension. One post highlighted: “Therapists say a growing number of employees are struggling with fear of becoming obsolete as AI reshapes the job market,” citing the APA’s 38% figure and MIT’s 11% exposure. Another decried layoffs followed by AI support offers: “Having your job removed… then being told to use AI for support? This doesn’t feel like care.” Mario Nawfal warned of “automating empathy” eroding workplace trust.