FOBO Anxiety Rises in U.S. Workplace: AI-Driven Obsolescence Fear Becomes Dominant Emotion

In 2026, FOBO (Fear of Becoming Obsolete) emerged as a new keyword in the U.S. workplace. Unlike traditional unemployment anxiety, it focuses more on feeling 'irrelevant'. KPMG data shows 40% of employees worry about AI-induced job loss, 63% feel the work environment is less 'human', and job skill demands change 66% faster than last year.

MIT research indicates AI's impact on the labor market is gradual, like a 'slowly rising tide' rather than a sudden wave. By 2029, AI may achieve 80-95% success in most text tasks, but employees have an adaptation window. However, only 19% of U.S. companies deploy AI, and one-third of employees get sufficient training, creating a 'technology leads, organization lags' contradiction. The key to FOBO is treating AI as a tool, not a threat.