By Futurist Thomas Frey
Recently a friend was facilitating an AI workshop for a group of executives. As they explored ways to integrate generative AI into their workflows, something peculiar emerged in the room. The energy was high, people were engaged, but there was an undercurrent of unease that nobody wanted to name. No one explicitly said they were afraid of AI, but my friend could sense a tension hovering just beneath the surface—a discomfort that academic researchers have started calling “Identity Threat.”
Identity Threat isn’t about job security. It kicks in after people master AI tools and watch their productivity soar. That’s when a deeper, more unsettling question emerges: “If AI can do my work at this level, what’s actually valuable about me?” It’s not automation anxiety—it’s something far more existential. And we’re going to hit a point where AI makes us second-guess what’s truly us and what’s AI. As AI improves, this awkwardness seems inevitable.
Continue reading… “The Identity Crisis AI Is About to Trigger—And Why Nobody’s Talking About It”