Fear of AI erodes work ethics – most where the change is closest
A Washington State University study shows that employees who fear AI will make their occupation obsolete find it easier to justify behaviour that harms the organisation.
A team led by Professor Tahira M. Probst of Washington State University Vancouver, working with researchers from Italy and Belgium, examined the attitudes of employees across 18 industries. The industries were ranked using the AI Industry Exposure index, which reflects how far AI could take over their tasks. The results were published in the journal Occupational Health Science.
What mattered was not ordinary job insecurity but insecurity about the occupation as a whole. People who believed AI could make their profession disappear were more prone to moral disengagement – the psychological process of justifying behaviour they would otherwise consider inappropriate. This, in turn, was linked to more self-reported counterproductive behaviour, such as arriving late or browsing the web during working hours. Probst describes the mechanism as "a way of reframing that behavior as something that is acceptable".
The effect was strongest in industries most exposed to AI-driven change, such as finance and insurance, and noticeably weaker where AI's impact is smaller, for example forestry and construction. The authors read this as an attempt to protect oneself or to offset a perceived injustice. The data rely on employees' own reports.
What this means for organisations: introducing AI is not only a technology project but also a change in the psychological contract with employees. Boards and HR directors – particularly in finance and insurance – should communicate clearly how AI will reshape roles and what development path exists for people whose tasks are being automated. Uncertainty left unanswered does not disappear; it migrates into the team's culture and ethical standards.