More People Than Ever Experiencing ‘FOBO’ With the Rise of Generative AI

Unlike FOMO, which describes the fear of missing out, the new FOBO term is used around the workplace. But what is it? It means fear of becoming obsolete and describes the feeling people get when they are concerned their role may be obsolete soon due to new technologies like AI—with a reported 300,000,000 (three hundred million) jobs at risk of being replaced by similar, automated roles.

FOBO Is Becoming Relevant

A recent survey has shown that 22% percent of US workers now experience FOBO, a seven percent increase since 2021. Apparently, this number used to always be around 13% to 17%, with the increase driven by people with higher education qualifications including degrees, masters, and PhDs— who are more threatened than ever by the rise of AI.

While generative AI certainly is something new that can potentially displace people from their jobs, there are things people can try to fight FOBO. According to experts, these include working on new skills or improving old ones in order to get fresh career development opportunities. Some people have tried attending courses to get new skills, while others use online resources to learn and enrich their CV.

Developing New Skills Is Crucial

Another way to combat the fear of becoming obsolete is to get out there and build more relationships with colleagues and industry specialists who can become important connections for future career development. After all, staying on top of the latest trends in an industry and having valuable skills is definitely something employers will always value.

While some worry about AI and what is to come, others like to remind people that this new artificial intelligence is nothing more than a tool, and a tool always needs an operator. So, some advise those who experience FOBO to embrace new technology and learn to use it in order to get over their fear.