For a while, the story of artificial intelligence in the workplace sounded almost utopian and picture-perfect. Executives spoke of productivity leaps, consultants predicted an era of frictionless work, and employees were told the technology would free them from tedious tasks. AI, the narrative went, would make work smarter, easier, and more efficient. Narratives not only centred around making the work smarter, but it was also said to take human’s job. But beneath the optimism, a different mood is beginning to surface inside offices and virtual workspaces. But beyond the applause and celebrations, there is a hidden reality that is making workers restless and apprehensive. Many workers now worry that the very systems meant to assist them may be doing something else: taking over the thinking itself.A new survey by career services platform Resume Now captures this subtle shift in sentiment. In its AI and Workplace Humanity Report, the company found that 63% of workers expect artificial intelligence to make the workplace feel less human in 2026.The finding is for what it reveals about the next phase of the AI debate. The concern is no longer only about jobs. Increasingly, it is about judgment, creativity and the human experience of work.
The slow erosion of thinking
The survey, conducted in October 2025 among 1,003 employed US adults, suggests that many employees fear a gradual erosion of their own capabilities.More than half, 57% of respondents, said overreliance on AI reducing human skills will be the biggest workforce issue linked to the technology. That figure outranked even job displacement, cited by 49%.In practical terms, the worry is easy to recognise. The modern worker already relies on software to calculate numbers, track productivity, and generate reports. With AI systems now capable of drafting emails, summarising research, and even proposing decisions, the line between assistance and substitution can blur quickly.What begins as convenience can slowly become dependence. Workers fear that if machines increasingly analyse, write, and recommend actions, the human brain, once the centre of the workplace, risks becoming a passive observer.
When work begins to feel less human
The emotional undertone of the findings may be just as significant as the economic implications. The report states that 43 percent of employees think AI will make the workplace somewhat less human, with tasks becoming more automated and personal judgment less important. Another 20 percent think the impact will be significant, with the workplace becoming less human as machines work behind the scenes to make decisions. On the other hand, just 16 percent think AI will make the workplace more human because it could allow people to avoid boring tasks and focus more on creative tasks. The split reflects the tension that exists. On the one hand, technology could free people from boring jobs. On the other hand, it could also rob people of the intellectual challenge that gives meaning to work.
Job security and privacy still loom
Besides these cultural issues, there are more pressing concerns. The survey found that 29% of workers name job loss as their greatest personal concern about AI. Other pressing issues include data misuse/privacy violations, which concern 23%, while 20% are worried about a decline in creativity/critical thinking skills.Another 18% of workers are concerned about constant monitoring, which is related to the increasing use of AI analytics tools that monitor productivity, behavior, etc.What is common here is that these issues reflect a general concern about power, who has it, and how AI could affect this.
Not everyone believes AI will dominate every job
Yet, despite all this anxiety, a surprising measure of restraint can also be seen in workers’ expectations through a new survey.Close to 48% of workers believe that AI skills would be important but not most important in some jobs by the end of 2026, indicating that workers expect a faster transformation in some jobs than others through AI technology. Only 18% of them expect AI skills to become essential in nearly all white-collar jobs.Another 17% expect AI skills to remain a niche requirement, while an equal number expect that the current excitement around AI might be overstated.So, workers are perhaps not preparing themselves for a takeover by technology; instead, there is a prospect of a patchwork transformation, where some jobs might evol
A deeper challenge for the modern workplace
The findings from Resume Now hint at an emerging dilemma for employers. For years, the central question around AI has been how quickly companies can adopt it.But a more complex question may now be emerging: how to adopt it without hollowing out the human side of work.Efficiency may improve as machines handle more tasks. Yet if employees begin to feel that their thinking, judgment and creativity are gradually being outsourced to algorithms, the psychological cost could be significant.The early phase of the AI era celebrated speed and productivity. The next phase may revolve around something more fragile, whether workplaces can remain places where human intelligence still matters.Because the real risk, workers increasingly suggest, is not that machines will replace them overnight. It is that they may slowly teach people to stop thinking for themselves.
