Recent news about IBM implementing a hiring freeze due to automation, along with similar actions by other corporations, has sparked the 'fear of becoming obsolete' (FOBO) among the younger workforce participants, according to a new poll. 

Gallup revealed a surge in respondents expressing FOBO, driven by the expansion of AI, over the last year. 

Twenty-two percent now say they worry that technology will make their job obsolete, up seven percentage points from the prior reading in 2021. The figure had previously varied between 13% and 17%, with little upward movement in the trend.

FOBO is occurring with "college-educated workers, among whom the percentage worried has jumped from 8% to 20," Gallup said. At the same time, survey data showed those without college degrees could care less about AI taking their jobs. Most of the FOBO is occurring with younger respondents. 

The number one worry respondents had was AI and other technological advancements harming their job benefits. About a third said they were worried about reduced benefits, and almost a quarter worried about decreasing wages. 

The wake-up call for workers has been the release of ChatGPT last November. "It is no longer only about robots standing in for humans in warehouses and on assembly lines but has expanded to online programs conducting sophisticated language-based work, including writing computer code," Gallup said.