In the rapidly evolving landscape of the modern workforce, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and mental health has become an area of paramount importance. A groundbreaking study published in BMC Psychology (2025) explores the nuanced ways in which attitudes toward AI and AI literacy shape the intricate relationship between an individual’s career self-efficacy and the anxiety experienced during the job-seeking process. This research shines a critical light on the psychological undercurrents affecting millions navigating a job market increasingly influenced by AI technologies. The findings suggest that the impact of AI on mental well-being is far more complex than previously acknowledged, interweaving notions of personal confidence with evolving technological literacy.
Career self-efficacy, the belief in one’s own capability to successfully perform job-related tasks and achieve career goals, has long been established as a predictor of resilience and success during employment transitions. However, as AI becomes an omnipresent force in recruitment and workplace environments—from automated résumé scanning to AI-driven job matching—the emotional terrain navigated by job applicants has shifted dramatically. Individuals’ attitudes toward AI, encompassing curiosity, fear, and skepticism, coupled with their actual understanding of AI (AI literacy), play crucial roles in modulating how this self-efficacy translates into anxiety. The study meticulously dissects these mediating factors, thereby unveiling a critical psychological mechanism.
At the heart of the research lies the premise that AI attitudes are not monolithic but exist along a spectrum ranging from enthusiastic acceptance to apprehensive resistance. Similarly, AI literacy varies widely across demographics, impacting how comfortably individuals engage with AI-mediated job search tools. The researchers argue that a positive attitude toward AI, when combined with higher AI literacy, tends to buffer job-seeking anxiety—even among those with comparatively lower career self-efficacy. This suggests that fostering better knowledge and more favorable perceptions of AI might mitigate the anxiety often associated with job hunting in this era of rapid automation.
The methodology employed involves comprehensive psychometric assessments among diverse cohorts of job seekers, capturing detailed responses on self-efficacy beliefs, AI literacy levels, and attitudes toward AI. These data sets are then correlated with standardized anxiety measurements, ensuring rigorous quantitative analysis. The use of advanced statistical mediation models reveals that AI attitudes and literacy serve as pivotal mediators—leveraging or dampening the effects of career self-efficacy on job-seeking anxiety. This nuanced understanding departs from simplistic cause-and-effect narratives and points toward actionable interventions.
One of the most compelling revelations is how AI literacy acts as a cognitive resource. Participants with more robust AI knowledge demonstrated greater confidence in navigating AI-driven recruitment processes, such as algorithmic résumé screening systems and chatbot interviews. This confidence alleviated anxiety and, in some cases, even enhanced motivation to engage proactively with job applications. Conversely, individuals with limited AI literacy experienced heightened uncertainty and stress, suggesting a pressing need for educational initiatives tailored to demystify AI in employment contexts.
Furthermore, AI attitudes—formed by a complex interplay of media narratives, personal experiences, and broader societal discourse—also serve as significant psychological filters. Those harboring negative or mistrustful views of AI reported higher job-seeking anxiety, independent of their career self-efficacy. This indicates that affective responses toward technology are at least as impactful as cognitive competence. The study highlights the importance of addressing not only informational gaps but also emotional dimensions to comprehensively support job seekers.
This research arrives at a pivotal moment when AI tools have permeated the recruitment landscape in unprecedented ways. Automated systems now perform initial candidate screenings, conduct preliminary interviews, and even predict employee retention probabilities. While these tools aim to optimize efficiency, they inadvertently create new sources of uncertainty and anxiety. Understanding how to equip job seekers with the right attitudes and competencies relative to AI is essential for fostering a labor market that is both technologically advanced and psychologically humane.
In light of these findings, the authors propose a multidimensional approach to career counseling and workforce development. Integrating AI literacy training with psychological support could empower individuals to better navigate AI-mediated job search environments. For example, workshops that explain the fundamentals of AI algorithms used in hiring, combined with mindset coaching to build positive attitudes toward these technologies, could markedly reduce job-seeking anxiety. This holistic strategy promises to fortify individuals’ career trajectories in a world where human and machine increasingly collaborate.
The implications extend beyond individual mental health. Employability in the 21st century demands a digital fluency that includes comfort with AI and related technologies. Employers and educational institutions face a responsibility to bridge gaps in AI literacy, ensuring candidates are not disadvantaged by technological ignorance or unwarranted fears. By demystifying AI and normalizing its role in recruitment, society can nurture a more equitable job market resilient to psychological stressors engendered by rapid automation.
Moreover, the study’s insights resonate with broader concerns about AI’s psychological repercussions. As machines take on more evaluative roles, the locus of control shifts, and individuals may feel increasingly alienated or powerless. Self-efficacy, already susceptible to societal influences, can be eroded if people perceive AI as inscrutable or biased. By cultivating informed and positive attitudes toward AI, it becomes possible to restore a sense of agency, thereby mitigating anxiety and promoting adaptive coping strategies.
Importantly, the research underscores that mere exposure to AI is insufficient to reduce anxiety; rather, the quality of understanding and the affective orientation toward AI are decisive. Policymakers and mental health professionals must thus go beyond surface-level digital literacy programs and actively shape more nuanced awareness and acceptance of AI’s role in career development. Building this dual competency circuit—knowledge plus attitude—may constitute a vital pillar of future workforce mental health.
From a technical perspective, the study employs structural equation modeling to parse the direct and indirect effects of career self-efficacy on anxiety, mediated by AI attitudes and literacy. This analytic rigor lends weight to the conclusion that interventions targeting AI perceptions can modulate psychological outcomes in meaningful ways. It also opens avenues for future research to explore causal pathways longitudinally and to tailor interventions to specific populations based on demographic and psychographic variables.
In sum, this research represents a critical advance in our understanding of how contemporary technologies, particularly AI, permeate not just the functional but also the emotional dimensions of career development. It reveals a multilayered psychological landscape where self-efficacy, technological literacy, and attitudes converge to shape job seekers’ experiences. By highlighting these mediators, the study offers a roadmap for fostering more empowered and less anxious engagement with the digitally augmented labor market of tomorrow.
As AI continues to evolve, so too must our frameworks for supporting those who engage with it. The delicate interplay of cognition and emotion revealed here underscores the necessity of integrative strategies that reconcile human strengths and vulnerabilities with the promises and challenges of artificial intelligence. Ultimately, embracing AI literacy alongside positive attitudes toward technology may be the key to unlocking a future in which job seekers are not overwhelmed by anxiety but energized by opportunity.
The findings invite all stakeholders—from educators to employers, technologists to mental health experts—to collaborate in building a labor ecosystem that values psychological well-being as highly as technical proficiency. The challenge is clear: how to harness the power of AI to enhance careers without exacerbating anxieties. This landmark study offers hope that through informed attitudes and empowered literacy, the workforce can confidently stride into the AI age.
Subject of Research: The mediating role of AI attitudes and AI literacy on the relationship between career self-efficacy and job-seeking anxiety.
Article Title: Mediating effect of AI attitudes and AI literacy on the relationship between career self-efficacy and job-seeking anxiety.
Article References:
Li, R., Ouyang, J., Lin, J. et al. Mediating effect of AI attitudes and AI literacy on the relationship between career self-efficacy and job-seeking anxiety. BMC Psychol 13, 454 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02757-2
Image Credits: AI Generated
