As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the business landscape, a new phenomenon is emerging among workers: FOBO, or the fear of becoming obsolete. While CEOs rush to adopt AI technologies driven by FOMO (fear of missing out), their employees are experiencing mounting anxiety that AI development is outpacing workforce reskilling efforts, potentially rendering their jobs redundant.
Recent Gallup polling reveals a significant increase in workplace obsolescence fears, with 22% of US workers now worried their jobs will become obsolete due to technology, up from just 15% in 2021. This 7-percentage-point jump in just three years underscores the growing anxiety surrounding AI’s impact on employment.
The term FOBO gained prominence at the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where global leaders addressed the looming jobs crisis. Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam warned of an impending global employment crisis during a panel titled “Closing the Jobs Gap,” calling for governments and employers to continuously invest in worker training to ensure AI complements rather than replaces human skills.
Ravin Jesuthasan, a renowned future-of-work expert and author of “The Skills-Powered Organization,” emphasized that business leaders must prioritize upskilling initiatives as much as AI tool adoption. He told Business Insider that simply providing access to tools like ChatGPT won’t deliver returns on investment. Instead, companies need strategic approaches: making training mandatory, allocating dedicated learning time during work hours, and identifying specific tasks that AI will substitute.
Jesuthasan advocates for a targeted methodology where employers assess freed-up workers, determine necessary new skills, and strategically redeploy them to drive growth. Rafee Tarafdar, Chief Technology Officer of Infosys, reported success with the company’s in-house learning platform, which now features generative AI courses with incentive programs. Infosys employees spend an average of 30 minutes daily on the platform, benefiting from its anytime, anywhere accessibility.
Tarafdar highlighted the importance of differentiating employees into three categories: AI consumers (using tools for productivity), AI creators (developing AI solutions), and builders (those whose skills will evolve). This segmentation enables focused, role-specific training that drives value.
For senior workers particularly vulnerable to FOBO, Jesuthasan recommends “reverse mentoring,” pairing experienced employees with younger colleagues more adept with modern technology. However, he stressed that individual motivation remains crucial: “Every one of us has to really force ourselves to be curious.”
Key Quotes
Just giving people access to ChatGPT won’t get you a return. Adoption rates tend to be low when workers are just handed a tool.
Ravin Jesuthasan, future-of-work expert and author, emphasizes that simply providing AI tools without proper training and strategic implementation fails to deliver business value, highlighting why companies must invest in comprehensive upskilling programs.
We recognize that some of them will be consumers of AI, which means they will use the AI tools in order to become more productive and efficient, and some of them will be creators of AI. And then somewhere in between, we’ll have builders, those whose skills will change.
Rafee Tarafdar, CTO of Infosys, explains the company’s strategic approach to workforce segmentation, demonstrating how differentiated training based on employee roles with AI can drive more effective upskilling and value creation.
They’re more adept because they’ve grown up in a much more volatile world. They’ve not had the luxury of saying, ‘I’ll be an engineer for life.’
Jesuthasan explains why younger workers possess advantages beyond digital skills, including adaptability and transversal capabilities that make them valuable mentors for senior colleagues navigating the AI-driven workplace transformation.
Every one of us has to really force ourselves to be curious. The company can provide resources. The company can provide the space for reskilling and upskilling, but the individual really has to bring the impetus for change.
Jesuthasan concludes by emphasizing personal responsibility in the AI era, noting that while employers must create learning opportunities, individual motivation and curiosity remain essential to avoiding obsolescence in an AI-transformed workplace.
Our Take
The emergence of FOBO as a Davos buzzword signals that workforce anxiety around AI has reached critical mass, demanding immediate attention from business and political leaders. What’s particularly striking is the 47% increase in obsolescence fears since 2021—a dramatic shift that correlates directly with generative AI’s mainstream breakthrough. The strategic frameworks proposed by Jesuthasan and demonstrated by Infosys offer practical pathways forward, but they require significant investment and cultural change. The reverse mentoring concept is especially innovative, flipping traditional hierarchies to leverage generational strengths. However, Jesuthasan’s final point about individual responsibility raises uncomfortable questions: Is it fair to place the burden of adaptation on workers when technological disruption is largely driven by corporate profit motives? The tension between employer responsibility and employee agency will likely define the next phase of the AI revolution, potentially reshaping labor relations and social contracts in profound ways.
Why This Matters
This story highlights a critical tension in the AI revolution that could determine whether technological advancement benefits or disrupts society. The seven-percentage-point increase in worker obsolescence fears signals a growing crisis of confidence that could undermine AI adoption and workplace productivity if left unaddressed.
The discussion at Davos underscores that FOBO is now a boardroom-level concern, with world leaders recognizing that workforce displacement could trigger social and economic instability. The emphasis on continuous reskilling represents a fundamental shift in employment philosophy—from static career paths to perpetual learning models.
For businesses, the ROI argument is compelling: AI tools alone don’t generate returns without skilled users. Companies that invest strategically in differentiated training programs, like Infosys’s approach, position themselves to maximize AI benefits while retaining institutional knowledge. The reverse mentoring concept also addresses a demographic challenge as experienced workers risk becoming the most vulnerable to technological displacement. Ultimately, this story reveals that the AI revolution’s success depends not just on technological capability but on our collective ability to adapt human skills at an unprecedented pace.
Recommended Reading
For those interested in learning more about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and effective AI communication, here are some excellent resources:
Recommended Reading
Related Stories
- The Impact of AI on Software Engineering Jobs and Market Outlook
- Tech Workers Are the Real Winners in the AI Talent War, With Pay Set to Soar by 2024
- Cornerstone Unveils AI-Powered Platform for Employee Career Growth by 2024
- Perplexity CEO Predicts AI Will Automate Two White-Collar Roles by 2025
- How Companies Can Use AI to Meet Their Operational and Financial Goals