Workers at all stages of their careers — from job hunters to job havers — are increasingly anxious about the lightning-fast deployment of AI.

Why it matters: Their fears come at a particularly fraught moment, with jobs in scarce supply, hiring frozen in many industries and corporate leaders relentlessly pushing this technology as a replacement for humans.

Driving the news: AI is looming on the psychological horizon just as the U.S. labor market weakens — though right now AI's role in that market remains a big unknown. • As of July, the number of unemployed people surpassed the number of job openings for the first time in four years. • And in August, hiring stalled out — with the economy adding a scant 22,000 jobs, according to the latest jobs report.

Zoom in: Even AI-smitten executi

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