Job Anxiety in Post-Secondary Computer Science Students Caused by Artificial Intelligence
Daniyaal Farooqi, Gavin Pu, Shreyasha Paudel, Sharifa Sultana, Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed

TL;DR
This study explores job anxiety among computer science students caused by AI displacement fears, revealing subfield vulnerabilities, coping strategies, and additional pressures faced by international students.
Contribution
It provides empirical insights into students' perceptions of AI-related job insecurity and their adaptive strategies, highlighting specific subfield vulnerabilities and international student challenges.
Findings
Students experience significant anxiety about AI displacing jobs.
Software engineering and web development are seen as most vulnerable.
Students pursue upskilling and reskilling to mitigate job insecurity.
Abstract
The emerging widespread usage of AI has led to industry adoption to improve efficiency and increase earnings. However, a major consequence of this is AI displacing employees from their jobs, leading to feelings of job insecurity and uncertainty. This is especially true for computer science students preparing to enter the workforce. To investigate this, we performed semi-structured interviews with (n = 25) students across computer science undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Toronto to determine the extent of job replacement anxiety. Through thematic analysis, it was determined that computer science students indeed face stress and anxiety from AI displacement of jobs, leading to different strategies of managing pressure. Subfields such as software engineering and web development are strongly believed to be vulnerable to displacement, while specialized subfields like…
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Taxonomy
TopicsCyberloafing and Workplace Behavior · Technostress in Professional Settings · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
