Why Gen AI Feels So Threatening to Workers

As gen AI takes over tasks that were once considered uniquely human, workers are starting to perceive their roles and their organizational value differently. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? To explore that question, we integrated psychological theories of motivation, performance, and well-being at work and interdisciplinary research on how gen AI affects knowledge, tasks, and the social characteristics of worker productivity and work itself. We found that a lot depends on whether workers feel that gen AI satisfies or frustrates three key psychological needs: competence (the feeling of being effective and capable); autonomy (the feeling of being in control of one’s actions); and relatedness (the feeling of having meaningful interpersonal connections). When those needs are met, employees embrace gen AI as a helpful tool and copilot. But when they’re not, employees feel threatened, at times even existentially, and balk at using gen AI.