How to avoid AI-driven fear of becoming obsolete

AI adoption is rapidly changing skill requirements across millions of jobs worldwide. As workers and business leaders race to keep up, boards, senior executives and employees share a clear concern: skill sets must change quickly. Fear of skills becoming obsolete is real at both the company and individual level.

Which skills could become obsolete?

In an article for Directors & Boards, WTW's Shai Ganu highlights research analyzing the tasks and activities associated with 920 occupations and more than 50,000 jobs using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

• Up to 72% of tasks in highly structured roles, such as operations, administrative and clerical functions, could be automated, reflecting the significant potential to replace repetitive, rules-based cognitive work
• Up to 75% of repeatable tasks in industrial and frontline roles could be automated, reflecting significant potential to replace repetitive, rules-based physical work
• AI could augment up to 35% of tasks in professional and judgment-intensive roles, helping employees make better decisions and improve outcomes

Further, AI and robotics could automate more than half of today’s work by redesigning workflows and work structure, as opposed to simply adding AI onto individual tasks. While many new skills will emerge and many existing skills will remain relevant, some long-time essential skills may become obsolete.

Fear of becoming obsolete (FOBO)

WTW’s Jill Havely recently wrote that the fear of becoming obsolete is creating real employee anxiety amid the dizzying pace of AI developments. Rapid automation, uneven organizational readiness and still-emerging narratives about AI’s impact on work leaves employees feeling insecure and unclear about how they should adapt. The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report found that employees expect 39% of their existing skill sets will be transformed or become obsolete by 2030. WTW’s 2026 Global EX Market Study found:

• Only about 50% of employees believe their organization is managing AI-related change effectively, and only a similar percentage are excited about the possibilities of AI in their organization
• 58% of employers expect AI to fundamentally change how the employee experience is managed in the next three years (91% within 10 years). However, only about half of leaders say they feel equipped for the change
• Organizations that deliver a high-impact employee experience consistently outperform their peers, including a 23% increase in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBIDA) and an 8% increase in year-over-year revenue

How can boards reduce FOBO risk?

The most important questions for boards to ask are practical, including:

• Which roles are most likely automated and which will require deeper or broader human judgment?
• What new products or services have become feasible through AI?
• How will AI change the shape of the organization’s talent pyramid over the next three to five years?
• What happens to early-career development if routine work becomes increasingly automated?
• Does the board have an independent view of management’s AI assumptions or is it mainly receiving the version management presents?
• Are leadership development and succession plans being updated to account for AI fluency and transformation experience?

How can leaders reduce FOBO?

Though FOBO is likely to persist, there are steps leaders can take to alleviate and mitigate it:

1. Establish a clear vision and communicate frequently. Leaders set the tone for the organization through clear and consistent communication that expresses how AI will change the business and the workforce. A well-defined vision provides employees with the context they need to understand where the organization is going and why.
2. Be clear about which skills will be required and how AI benefits them. Employees want to understand how change affects them. Effective leaders connect AI transformation to individual opportunities for growth, efficiency and skill building. They increase employee confidence by articulating how humans will continue to uniquely contribute and help them understand how AI can enhance (not replace) their value.
3. Frame AI opportunities around revenue growth and strategic differentiation, not just cost savings. Many studies, including BCG’s Henderson Institute, forecast that AI will reshape more jobs than it replaces. Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report noted that while some jobs will be eliminated, new ones will emerge and others will change. LinkedIn’s 2026 Labor Report found that more than 1.3 million AI-related jobs were created in the past two years. More CEOs are now positioning AI as a driver of growth rather than solely cutting costs.
4. Listen carefully and use data to understand employee needs. Understanding employee needs is critical to effective AI adoption. Reliable data on employee preferences, sentiment and behavior helps organizations develop effective programs, tailor communications and address concerns before they become barriers to progress. It also gives leaders clear guideposts for decisions related to work, rewards, careers and AI-enabled transformation.
5. Develop manager capability. The Microsoft study found that only 26% of AI users say their leadership is clearly and consistently aligned on AI. WTW’s 2026 Global EX Market Study found managers play a pivotal role in translating strategy into everyday experience, yet many face limited bandwidth, tools or confidence to do so. Only about a quarter of organizations have begun strengthening manager capability for new ways of working. Managers require AI skills to make their own jobs more efficient and to lead both people and agents in AI-enabled workflows. Manager development in AI, coaching, communication and leading through uncertainty provides strong returns on investment.
6. Bring employees into AI adoption and prioritize culture. Microsoft found that culture, manager support and talent practices strongly influence AI adoption. BCG emphasizes accelerating innovation by aligning the organization on upskilling and reskilling, shaping new pathways for careers and fostering a new level of human-AI collaboration. WTW’s study found that employees support what they help create, so leaders should involve them in redesigning work. When employees can test ideas, refine solutions and share feedback, they develop a sense of ownership and momentum.

Leaders can ease anxiety and mitigate FOBO by investing in employee experience, providing necessary professional development, making new skills visible and achievable, and providing clear messaging on what’s changing and why.

A version of this article originally appeared on Forbes on August 17, 2026.