The fear of being replaced by generative AI: An examination of influential factors among office workers

As advancements in generative artificial intelligence (GAI) permeate the modern workplace, anxieties about job replacement become increasingly prevalent. This study utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling on a sample of Korean office workers from various industries to explore the correlations between various factors and job replacement anxiety in the context of GAI. Memorability and self-learning characteristics of GAI were found to not significantly influence job replacement concerns. On the other hand, personalization and anthropomorphism—AI's human-like characteristics and adaptability—were found to be significantly associated with increased job replacement anxiety. Additionally, skepticism was found to significantly moderate the relationships between these GAI characteristics and job replacement anxiety. This research pioneers a nuanced exploration of how personalization and anthropomorphism, as dimensions of GAI, directly contribute to job replacement anxiety, providing an informed perspective by integrating skepticism as a moderating factor in a culturally specific context. The findings from this study provide new insights into how perceptions of GAI characteristics and demographics influence job replacement concerns.