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AI anxiety
also artificial intelligence anxiety or AIA or AI-related anxiety
Definition of AI anxiety
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: fear, stress, or unease caused by artificial intelligence, especially uncertainty about learning to use it, losing work or skills, depending on it, or being unable to control its effects
- The rapid introduction of workplace copilots increased AI anxiety among employees who had not been told how their roles would change.
- The training program reduced AI anxiety by giving staff time to test the tools and ask practical questions.
Two meanings, one word
In everyday English
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, tension, or unease; AI anxiety is worry specifically connected to artificial intelligence and the changes it may bring.
In AI
Fear, stress, or unease caused by artificial intelligence, especially uncertainty about learning to use it, losing work or skills, depending on it, or being unable to…
Origin & history
Researchers had studied computer anxiety and technology anxiety for decades before AI became a distinct focus. In 2019, Yu-Yin Wang and Yi-Shun Wang introduced and validated an Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale, helping establish AI anxiety as a measurable research construct with dimensions related to learning, job replacement, sociotechnical uncertainty, and configuration or operation.
Editorial references
Sources & further reading
- Development and validation of an artificial intelligence anxiety scale: an initial application in predicting motivated learning behavior↗ Interactive Learning Environments · 2019-10-14
- Development and Validation of the Scale for Artificial Intelligence Anxiety↗ International Journal of Indian Psychology · 2026-06-30
Test yourself
Which of these is the meaning of AI anxiety?
Cite this entry
"AI anxiety." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/ai-anxiety/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.