Conquer anxieties by using AI to your advantage

Even tech experts have been astonished by the rapid growth of AI technology, and their ability to hold human-like conversations in multiple languages, creating music and pass medical exams. While the potential benefits of AI in fields such as healthcare are indeed inspiring, the pace of change is rapid, and there is still uncertainty about the future.

If you feel worried about how AI could affect your career, your privacy or your safety in the coming years, you might be experiencing AI-nxiety. This term, coined by a marketing agency, which is spreading on social media, describes the uneasy feeling about the effects of AI on human creativity and inventiveness. Anxiety disorders are often related to difficulty in coping with uncertainty and ambiguity. People feel anxious not just about what exists, but also about what is unknown.

AI-nxiety stems from feelings of uncertainty about AI's potential to create fake videos and spread disinformation that polarises populations. Some AI-produced content can also provoke a negative emotional reaction in viewers. This unsettling feeling when an AI character or voice is eerily close, but not quite so, is also known as the “uncanny valley”. It might help to remember that these feelings aren't necessarily new. Similar worries about technological advancements, such as “computerphobia”, “computer anxiety” and “technostress” emerged in the early 1980s. In many ways, AI-nxiety is similar to the eco-anxiety that many young people feel about climate change. Like environmental degradation, rapid digitalisation is a result of human activity. Many people are now feeling that both of these are going beyond their control. But AI-nxiety doesn't have to rule your life. Excessive worry can affect daily activities, and even lead to other medical issues, and can stop you from seeing the positives of digital advancement.

Here are tips that can help cope up with it.

1. Accept that AI is already here: Lack of familiarity with AI technology could prompt feelings of fear and anxiety towards it. Taking a moment to think about how AI is already part of our lives might make the new tools that are employing similar algorithms less intimidating. For example, many people use Apple's Siri to look for nearby restaurants or select a film based on Netflix's recommendations. AI is also part of learning new languages with Duolingo or using Google Maps to navigate a new city.

2. Prepare for new career prospects: It's almost certain that AI will affect the next generation's workforce. A 2020 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicted that AI will replace an astounding 85 million jobs by 2025, while AI could potentially generate 97 million new roles across 26 countries. But you can prepare by learning how to use AI tools to their full potential in your current or future career. Several online courses are available to give you a better understanding of how AI will affect your field and help you prepare by developing your digital skills. Importantly though, be mindful of keeping up with human skills such as interpersonal skills or emotional intelligence that AI can't (yet) replace. A combination of digital and soft skills is needed for the future health of the workforce.

3. Take a break: If you feel overwhelmed, turn off digital devices or take a break from screens. Using new AI tools or reading the headlines could leave you anxious or unsettled. Research has found that reducing non-work related digital screen use improves the wellbeing and moods overall. Ironically, there are useful digital support tools, such as Digital Detox, that can give you a hand in reducing your screen time. You may even be able to use AI or other digital tools to enrich your offline life. Examples of these are using Google Maps to plot a safe cycling route, or asking ChatGPT for a recipe to cook with friends. This way, you can take a screen break while reminding yourself of the benefits that technology can bring to your life – two great ways to reduce your AI-nxiety.

4. Read up on regulation: While you shouldn't spend all your time reading about it (remember tip number three), it could be helpful to stay informed about progress in AI regulation. With eco-anxiety, it can be frustrating to feel that governments are not taking swift action, but those with AI-nxiety might be reassured that some governments are taking the risks seriously.

For example, the EU has just approved a draft law, the AI Act, to regulate the use of AI in society. AI creators and tech experts believe that regulating AI is essential to building trust in the technology before it is used more widely.

Good regulation could maximise the value AI offers to society, while minimising risks – and AI-nxiety.

(The writer is with United Nations University)