69% of Workers Fear AI Will Cost Them Their Job — And 24% Say It's Already Damaging Their Mental Health

# 69% of Workers Fear AI Will Cost Them Their Job — And 24% Say It's Already Damaging Their Mental Health

> **Quick answer:** A May 2026 Modern Health study of 1,000 US workers found 69% fear AI will cause layoffs at their company within three years, 49% fear it will happen to them personally, and 24% say AI is already negatively affecting their mental health today. This isn't abstract anxiety — Challenger Gray & Christmas data confirms AI was cited in 26% of all US job cuts in April 2026 alone, the second consecutive month it ranked as the top stated reason for layoffs.

Workers fear AI job loss at a scale that should alarm every employer in America. The numbers from a new study released May 8, 2026 aren't projections — they describe a workforce already under acute psychological strain, as the layoff wave these workers feared becomes a documented, month-by-month reality.

## The Study: What 1,000 US Workers Actually Said

The data comes from Modern Health's 2026 Workplace Mental Health Report, surfaced by Fair Play Talks on May 8, 2026. The sample is 1,000 full-time US employees at large companies — not gig workers, not freelancers, not laid-off workers already in crisis. These are employed people, at their desks, reporting distress right now.

The headline numbers: