New AI-Job Anxiety Gets Its Own Name: AIRD

Researchers propose 'AI replacement dysfunction' (AIRD) as a new clinical construct describing distress tied to the threat or reality of AI-driven job displacement. AIRD includes symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, depression, and identity confusion, with potential links to broader psychiatric issues; polls show broad concern about AI’s impact on employment, especially for early-career workers, even though direct AI-caused layoffs are not yet widespread. The piece notes a screening framework and suggests cognitive behavioral therapy as a potential treatment, but AIRD is not an official diagnosis yet.