05/01/2025

Artificial Intelligence and the Workplace: Embracing Change without Fear of Losing Autonomy

By Cynthia (Sharper) Snodgrass and Vonya Hodrick

What is the Big Deal about Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the workforce—automating routine tasks and creating new opportunities, sparking both anticipation and fear. At least half of US workers are concerned about AI's future impact on the workplace, with a third expecting job losses (Kocharr (2023)). According to IBM, the breakthrough development of neural networks within machine learning has enabled task automation, content generation, predictive maintenance, and other capabilities across industries (2023a). Similarly, McKinsey & Company (2023) found that almost half of today’s work tasks could be automated by 2060. But that does not mean robots are taking over. Instead, AI is helping to make jobs easier, speeding up repetitive tasks, and allowing people to focus on more meaningful work. Pasek (2024), director of the Michigan Institute for Data Science at the University of Michigan, pointed out that AI is changing how workers access information, complete tasks, and innovate. He also highlighted AI’s role in boosting efficiency, speed, and productivity across other job industries like marketing, finance, and graphic design. From hiring to coding, AI is transforming industries in diverse ways. Echoing this, Gore (2024) called Generative AI a reluctant leader, driving project-based work and strategic planning.

How AI is Shaping Careers

Think about emerging technology over the past half a century. When ATMs first came out, bank tellers worried about losing their jobs. As an alternative, their roles shifted to focus on customer service and financial advising. The same happened with word processors—instead of job loss, technology made work faster and easier. IBM (2023b) defined Generative AI as “deep-learning models that can generate high-quality text, images, and other content based on the data they were trained on.” Generative AI is going a step further by automating tasks and encouraging creativity. Nowadays, AI-powered tools like Grammarly, Alexa, Siri, ChatGPT, and many others are used every day, and more are being developed. For example, researchers at UCLA just developed SLIViT, capable of analyzing medical scans with expert-level accuracy in a fraction of the time required by humans (McClanahan, 2024).

AI and Workplace Wellbeing: Finding a Balance

While AI can make work more efficient, there are concerns about how it affects workplace wellbeing (Jin et al., 2024), ranging from fear of job loss to deeper mental health issues. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), employees who work with AI can suffer from loneliness and insomnia (APA, 2023). This aligns closely with a study from Mind Share Partners (2021) which reported that 76 % of US workers indicated at least one symptom of a mental health condition.

Yet, there is good news. More companies are recognizing the importance of employee well-being. A report from CIPD & Simplyhealth found that 81% of employers are increasing their focus on mental health. Career practitioners can help individuals adapt to AI by strengthening workplace connections and providing resources to manage related fears.

Overcoming AI Fears: Learning and Adapting

Career practitioners can help clients understand the psychology of fear and its impact on career development. Robinson (2024) recommended that professionals turn apprehension into the fuel for a bold and gratifying career transition using the following strategies:

• Assist clients in acknowledging and accepting the fear of the unknown, by seeking information, and recognizing current and past successes as a profession.
• Work together on a plan to move forward through research and taking sequential steps on goal setting, skills assessment, and networking.
• Encourage meditation to visualize positive outcomes.

Furthermore, practitioners can encourage clients to seek the positive outcomes of AI task augmentation in their work. Learning how to use AI-driven software, taking online courses, or earning certifications in AI-related skills can help people stay ahead. Clients may need help to see that AI is not here to intentionally take away careers—it is here to change how work is done, opening up opportunities for creativity, leadership, and innovation (Pasek, 2024). 

The need for proficiency in AI is quickly emerging. Employers rank AI as the "most important technology skill set" and more than 90% of employers surveyed said they will use AI-related solutions in their organizations by 2028, providing opportunities for upskilling (Shell, 2024).

In anticipation of these changes, career practitioners can use various strategies and tools to help clients understand how AI can impact their day-to-day responsibilities and industry:

• Collaborate with clients to articulate their understanding of AI; challenge and support their perspectives.
• Apply evidence-based career development theory, e.g., Social Cognitive Career Theory (Dziak, 2024) or human resource theory to ground the approach.
• Assess clients’ self-belief in their abilities to learn and practically apply AI within their work environment. Self-efficacy is foundational to autonomous motivation (Ito et al., 2024).
• Become knowledgeable about bias programmed into the platforms, machine error and hallucinations, environmental costs, and exploitation.
• Remain abreast of underpayment of the invisible international workforce of programmers and machine-teaching experts in East African countries like Kenya (Delcker & Muller, 2024), Uganda, and around the world (Williams, et al., 2022).

Embracing Change is the Ultimate Preparation for AI

AI is here to stay. While offering both benefits and challenges, AI will continue to impact wellbeing and the workplace. The key is to accept the wise use of AI while keeping human expertise, creativity, and wellbeing at the heart of work. The future is not about AI versus humans—it is about AI working with humans to create something better. Career practitioners can help balance AI-driven solutions with a human-centered, supportive work environment. This is especially critical in ensuring fair treatment and ethical compensation of workers.

For more details on AI’s impact on careers, join us at the 2025 NCDA Global Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA on Wednesday, June 18th for presentation #216.

References

American Psychological Association. (2023). Loneliness, insomnia, and AI systems: New research findings. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/06/loneliness-insomnia-ai-systems

CIPD & Simplyhealth. (2022). The CIPD’s health and wellbeing at work survey. https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/guides/health-wellbeing-work-report-2022_tcm18-108440.pdf

Delcker, J. & Muller, M. (2024). How AI companies exploit data workers in Kenya. https://www.dw.com/en/the-human-cost-of-ai-data-workers-in-the-global-south/video-71025482

Gore, S. (2024). The pinleader path: Identify, engage, and develop effective human and AI leadership for your organizational culture. The PinLeader Press.  

Jin, G., Jiang, J., & Liao, H. (2024). The work affective well-being under the impact of AI. Scientific Reports, 14, 25483. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-75113-w

IBM Data and AI Team. (2023a). Understanding the different types of artificial intelligence. IBM. https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/artificial-intelligence-types

IBM Data and AI Team. (2023b). What is generative AI? IBM. https://research.ibm.com/blog/what-is-generative-AI 

Dziak, M. (2024). Social cognitive career theory. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/business-and-management/social-cognitive-career-theory-scct

Ito, T, Umemoto, T, & Nakaya, M. (2024). Providing and receiving autonomy support promotes self-efficacy and value for group activities in university and the workplace. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 7. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2024.100339 

Kochhar, R. (2023). Which U.S. workers are more exposed to AI on their jobs? PewResearch. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/07/26/which-u-s-workers-are-more-exposed-to-ai-on-their-jobs/

McClanahan, K. (2024). New AI model efficiently reaches clinical-expert-level accuracy in complex medical scans. UCLA health. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/new-ai-model-efficiently-reaches-clinical-expert-level

Mckinsey & Company. (2023). The economic potential of generative at: The next productivity frontier. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-AI-the-next-productivity-frontier#key-insights

Mind Share Partners. (2021). Mental health at work report. https://www.mindsharepartners.org/mentalhealthatworkreport-2021

Pasek, J. (2024). Generative AI: Navigating disruption. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/specializations/navigating-disruption-generative-ai-in-the-workplace

Robinson, C. (2024). 3 key strategies for overcoming career change anxiety. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylrobinson/2024/04/08/3-key-strategies-to-overcome-career-change-anxiety 

Shell, A. (2024). Learning the abc’s of AI can bolster your career. Investor’s Business Daily. https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/learn-ai-can-bolster-your-career/

Williams, A., Miceli, M., Gebru, T. (2022). The exploited labor behind artificial intelligence; Supporting transnational worker organizing should be at the center of the fight for “ethical AI.” Noema Magazine. https://www.noemamag.com/the-exploited-labor-behind-artificial-intelligence/

Cynthia (Sharper) Snodgrass holds distinction as an industry expert, celebrated for pioneering programs that bridge education and career success. She possesses a certificate in Navigating Disruption: Generative AI in the Workplace specialization and is the Founder and Principal Consultant of SharperWorks LLC, delivering revolutionary success strategies for students, professionals, and organizations. With two decades of visionary leadership, Cynthia is widely known for crafting brilliant, tech-forward solutions to complex challenges. She also serves as Director of Coaching and Outreach at the LSA Opportunity Hub, a transformative career exploration center at the University of Michigan. Contact: cynthia@sharperworksllc.com

Vonya R. Hodrick is an award-winning author and the founder of Transcending Coaching, LLC. Vonya is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Social Worker, Transformational Coach, and Certified Holistic Health Consultant. Vonya helps mid-career professionals, entrepreneurs, and professionals in the healthcare industry attain their highest potential through discovery and self-actualization. Vonya is a member of the National Career Development Association. Vonya is also a co-associate editor for Career Convergence webmagazine’s Workplaces section. Vonya can be reached at vonya@transcedingcoaching.com