As artificial intelligence settles into everyday office life, a new word has entered the workplace vocabulary. FOBO, the fear of becoming obsolete, is being reported among a growing number of UK employees as AI adoption intensifies across the country’s offices, according to outplacement and HR specialist INTOO UK & Ireland. Yet the same research points to a clear and practical remedy: hands-on AI training, backed by leaders who communicate openly, turns uncertainty into productive confidence.
A Confidence Gap at the Heart of UK Workplaces
INTOO’s Future World of Work Report 2026 found that AI and automation displacement is the single most cited five-year workforce concern among HR leaders and managers, at 34 per cent. The unease is not evenly spread. Millennials are the most concerned generation at 36 per cent, while Gen Z respondents, at 29 per cent, are the least worried, a difference INTOO links to younger workers’ greater comfort with technology and the agility of their early careers.
Government research adds context to that anxiety. Only 21 per cent of UK workers told researchers they felt confident using AI at work, while Office for National Statistics figures show that improving business operations is now the most common use of AI, reported by more than 60 per cent of larger UK businesses. That adoption has not yet translated into widespread changes to headcount, but OECD data ranks London among the most highly exposed parts of the world for jobs affected by artificial intelligence.
Why AI Training Is the Sensible Answer
The most direct route past FOBO, according to INTOO, is for workers to build genuine capability with AI tools, and for leaders to make that training a priority rather than an afterthought. Employees who learn to use AI for routine tasks such as drafting, summarising and data handling are able to spend more of their week on judgement, creativity and client work, the very areas where human contribution matters most. For employers, that shift is good business as well as good stewardship: teams supported with AI skills are more engaged and more productive.
Matt Collier, Business Development Director at INTOO, said the response matters as much as the technology. “Increasingly, organisations are reducing headcount while simultaneously seeking human skills,” he said. “We can’t stress enough the importance to employers of developing vital human skills across their workforce while communicating with transparency. This will not only maintain trust but ensure that those charged with taking the organisation forward are equipped to do so.”
Human Skills Matter More, Not Less
INTOO’s report also uncovered a striking gap in readiness. Seventy-eight per cent of HR leaders said they were clear on which human skills will be most valuable as AI grows, against just 61 per cent of managers, a 17-point difference. Closing that gap begins with conversation, Collier argues: employers should nurture open discussions about which skills matter to their business and then grow vital human attributes such as empathy, ethical decision making and social intelligence, which remain essential to strong and productive teams and which AI cannot yet replicate.
Those attributes carry a commercial weight of their own. Businesses that pair AI efficiency with clearly developed human skills are better placed to maintain client trust, retain experienced people and make sound decisions as technology takes on more of the routine workload.
Support for Careers in Transition
Across INTOO’s global outplacement practice, the specialists have seen a notable increase in organisations seeking career-transition support for people whose careers have been affected by AI, and they expect the trend to grow. Support now involves significant career coaching around skills realignment and career pivots, helping individuals reimagine how a working life can evolve alongside new technology.
INTOO, part of Gi Group Holding, one of the world’s largest HR and recruitment providers, helps people move forward confidently after redundancy or dismissal with tailored support and expert guidance. Its message to British business is a constructive one: with employer-backed AI training, transparent communication and continued investment in human skills, FOBO can be replaced by something far more useful, which is confidence in the future of work.