Understanding AI Anxiety in the Workplace: A Multimethod Investigation Using Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model

Excerpt

arXiv:2608.14609v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly diffuses and concerns about job displacement intensify, the psychological mechanisms underlying AI job replacement anxiety remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on Integrated Fear Acquisition Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the present research investigates whether AI job replacement anxiety can be elicited through vicarious exposure to narratives emphasizing AI-over-human control, and wheth