AI Can’t Take This From You

In recent therapy sessions, I’ve been hearing a new kind of anxiety. It’s not just fear of being replaced; it’s something more profound and more personal.

One client shared, “I still have a job, technically. But more and more of it is automated. I’m doing less…and feeling less.”

Another told me, “I used to feel needed. Now I feel like a shadow with a login.”

These aren’t just work concerns. They’re identity crises.

Not Just Job Loss. Identity Loss

We used to ask, “Will AI take my job?”

Now, more quietly, many are asking, “What if it takes the part of me that mattered?”

This anxiety was recently amplified by an April 2025 New York Times article about Daniel Kokotajlo’s “AI 2027” prediction. Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI researcher, believes that by the end of 2027, AI could outperform humans in nearly every field—not in a dramatic sci-fi way, but in a quiet, total one. The machines simply do it all—better, faster, cheaper.

But You Are Not Replaceable

As a psychologist, I’ve seen how central feeling useful and valued is to mental health. When technology begins outperforming us in the very areas that once gave us confidence, it’s easy to feel like we’re fading into the background.

But here’s what I want you to remember: AI can’t replicate what matters most.

It can simulate empathy. It can generate words. But it can’t calm itself when anxious. And it certainly can’t reflect, reframe, or solve emotional problems with wisdom.

Calm and Solve: Your Enduring Edge

After decades of working with children, teens, adults, and families, I’ve come to believe that the two most powerful skills for a fulfilling life are calming yourself and solving problems. These are human skills—deep, earned, and embodied.

AI can automate tasks. But it cannot help a child regulate their emotions. It cannot navigate a painful relationship rupture with compassion. And it cannot heal.

You can.

In this AI-saturated era, our greatest calling may be to become human encouragers—guiding one another not with algorithms, but with empathy, presence, and heart.

From Fear to Focus

This moment in history is undeniably disruptive. But your emotional life is not up for automation. Your presence, your values, and your growth remain entirely in your hands.

You are not a function.

You are not a line of code.

You are human. And that’s your edge.

A Grounding Mantra for the AI Era

The future is not fixed. I am more than a machine. I live with purpose. I respond with wisdom.

Repeat with intention:

“The future is not fixed.” (Inhale)

Things change. So do we. With strength.

“I am more than a machine.” (Exhale)

You are soul, nuance, and empathy.

“I live with purpose.” (Inhale)

Your value isn’t productivity. It’s connection.

“I respond with wisdom.” (Exhale)

AI reacts. Humans reflect. That’s your power.

© 2025 Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD. All rights reserved.

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