Managers as Mediators: How Organizational Leadership Shapes Workers' Fear of AI Displacement

Abstract: Artificial intelligence adoption is reshaping work, yet workers' responses to these technologies depend not only on occupational exposure but critically on how organizations manage the transition. This article examines evidence from the Gallup Workforce Panel (2023–2026) demonstrating that managerial quality and workplace practices substantially moderate workers' fear of AI-driven job displacement. While only 3–4% of workers report their job is very likely to disappear within five years due to AI, concern rises sharply among frequent AI users. However, a one-standard-deviation increase in workplace quality associates with 13–24% lower odds of reporting displacement risk, and workers in high-wellbeing environments experience up to 9 percentage points less fear despite frequent AI use. These findings establish that organizational sensegiving—communicated through respect, wellbeing support, and cultural connectedness—shapes whether workers interpret AI as augmentation or substitution, with direct implications for engagement, burnout, and retention.

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