In AI workplace, your humanity protects your mental health

The fear of losing jobs to AI isn’t just a topic of discussion. It’s real. Take Ritika Kundu (name changed) for instance. She was a copywriter at an ad agency in Bengaluru. In July 2025, she was laid off along with two colleagues. They were freelancers but had been working with the company for more than three years. Ritika herself had been part of the core team for over five years. Officially, it was “cost-cutting,” but she had overheard her boss telling HR that basic copywriting could be done by ChatGPT. Or take the example of Abhishek Srivastata (name changed), who lost his job as a video editor after his company switched to Midjourney. And this isn’t just happening in small or mid-size firms. Big names like Google, Amazon, Intel, TCS, IBM and HP are cutting down their workforces sharply because of AI. Many companies are also shifting job roles entirely towards AI development.

Naturally, AI-driven layoffs are making workers around the world uneasy. Students who are about to step into the job market are stressed, and so are employees at every level. Yes, “upskilling” and “reskilling” are the go-to ways, but the fear of your job being replaced by AI is real and constant. If the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t already shake workplace mental peace, the rapid adoption of AI has layered on a whole new wave of anxiety.

The truth is, mental health at work was already a serious issue: about one in six people (14.7%) experience mental health problems on the job. Globally, depression and anxiety cost an estimated 12 billion working days each year, translating to nearly US$ 1 trillion in lost productivity. And according to the World Economic Forum, AI is expected to replace 85 million jobs by 2025.

In this AI-driven environment, many fear becoming irrelevant because they don’t have the technical skills to keep up with AI systems. Meanwhile, leaders are struggling too. They’re dealing with the same uncertainty while trying to motivate and retrain their teams. All this constant pressure to adapt to new AI tools can lead to fatigue, burnout, anxiety, irritability, headaches, muscle pain and even sleep issues. In more severe cases, it can spiral into depression and deeper mental health problems.

“AI can automate routine tasks, improve efficiency, and even assist in identifying mental health issues through data analysis, but it cannot truly “heal” the human mind, which requires empathy, connection, and emotional understanding. In the future, tech-dominated workplaces are likely to integrate AI-driven wellness tools—such as mood-tracking apps, virtual counsellors, and stress-prediction systems—but these should complement, not replace, genuine human support. The key challenge will be balancing technology’s analytical precision with the human touch needed for compassion, resilience, and emotional well-being in the evolving world of work,” M Devika, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science.

According to the Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology, the rapid growth of generative AI systems, especially conversational chatbots like ChatGPT and Character.AI, has created fresh worries about how they may affect people psychologically. These tools do offer easy access to information and even a sense of companionship, but emerging research shows they can also trigger or worsen psychiatric symptoms, especially in people who are already vulnerable. The American Psychological Association has warned that these AI tools don’t yet have the scientific backing or proper regulation needed to ensure people’s safety and offer mental health support. World Economic Forum mentioned that AI-driven workplace transformation is about empowering people by enabling them to work effectively with technology, unlocking new levels of performance and creativity.

In this kind of AI-driven environment, Harish Menon, Founding Chair of the Student Mental Health Task Force at IC3 Institute, said mental health support shouldn’t be treated as a one-time initiative. Instead, he believes it has to be woven into an organisation’s culture through regular check-ins, mentoring and easy access to counselling. “AI can perform tasks with remarkable efficiency, but it cannot heal. Healing requires understanding, compassion, and the presence of another human being. As technology reshapes our workplaces, emotional strength will matter just as much as technical skill. Educational institutions need to prepare students to adapt to technology while staying grounded in human values. That begins with the adults who teach them. When educators are overworked, anxious, or emotionally drained, that emotional state seeps into the classroom. Students learn not only from lessons, but also from the emotional climate around them. Supporting the mental health of educators is essential to the well-being of students. Mental health support should be an ongoing part of an organisation’s culture through regular check-ins, mentoring, and access to counselling. AI can make work easier, but only empathy can make it meaningful. Real progress will come when innovation and humanity grow together,” said Menon.