Understanding AI Anxiety in the Workplace: A Multimethod Investigation Using Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model

[2608.14609] Understanding AI Anxiety in the Workplace: A Multimethod Investigation Using Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in Search arXiv Press Enter to search · Advanced search Computer Science > Computers and Society arXiv:2608.14609 (cs) [Submitted on 7 Jul 2026] Title: Understanding AI Anxiety in the Workplace: A Multimethod Investigation Using Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model Authors: Jaroslaw Grobelny , Mateusz Klakus , Kacper Szymański , Teresa Chirkowska-Smolak View a PDF of the paper titled Understanding AI Anxiety in the Workplace: A Multimethod Investigation Using Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, by Jaroslaw Grobelny and 3 other authors View PDF Abstract: As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly diffuses and concerns about job displacement intensify, the psychological mechanisms underlying AI job replacement anxiety remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on Integrated Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the present research investigates whether AI job replacement anxiety can be elicited through vicarious exposure to narratives emphasizing AI-over-human control, and whether perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of AI moderate this response. Across two studies, we examine AI job replacement anxiety as a response that emerges through vicarious exposure to narratives emphasizing AI agency and human control loss, rather than through direct personal experience of job displacement. Study 1 employed a randomized experiment (N = 316), demonstrating that such exposure increased AI job replacement anxiety. This effect was moderated by perceived usefulness of AI, but not by perceived ease of use, and remained robust after controlling for core self-evaluations. Study 2 (N = 995) replicated the association between perceived AI-over-human control and job replacement anxiety in an observational design and provided convergent evidence for the moderating role of perceived usefulness, supporting the external validity of the findings. Together, the results provide the first causal evidence that perceptual and vicarious processes can trigger AI job replacement anxiety. By shifting attention from structural labor-market conditions to how AI agency is perceived and communicated, this work offers a mechanism-based account of when and why AI-related job fears arise. Subjects: Computers and Society (cs.CY) ; Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI) Cite as: arXiv:2608.14609 [cs.CY] (or arXiv:2608.14609v1 [cs.CY] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.14609 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Submission history From: Jaroslaw Grobelny [ view email ] [v1] Tue, 7 Jul 2026 10:41:11 UTC (784 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Understanding AI Anxiety in the Workplace: A Multimethod Investigation Using Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, by Jaroslaw Grobelny and 3 other authors View PDF view license Current browse context: cs.CY < prev | next > new | recent | 2026-08 Change to browse by: cs cs.AI References & Citations NASA ADS Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... BibTeX formatted citation × loading... 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