{"slug": "from-the-people-building-it-to-the-ones-who-have-to-use-it-ai-is-creating-all-of", "title": "From the people building it to the ones who have to use it, AI is creating all types of anxiety", "summary": "Silicon Valley therapists report a surge in tech workers seeking help for anxiety tied to AI-driven layoffs and rapid industry disruption, with one therapist coining the term 'complicity grief' for the guilt of building tools that replace colleagues. Bay Area psychotherapist Annie Wright noted that 'work is the most socially acceptable addiction,' as even post-IPO employees struggle. Meanwhile, companies are grappling with how to evaluate employees' AI use, with some executives valuing workers who teach colleagues effective AI practices, according to Business Insider's Amanda Hoover.", "body_md": "**The hottest new spot for tech workers is their therapist's couch.**\n\nA combination of layoffs, AI, and massive paydays has Silicon Valley questioning … everything.\n\nBI's Tracy Connor spoke to Silicon Valley therapists about how the people building the next great tech revolution are [feeling pretty rattled](https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-therapists-tech-workers-neuroses-2026-8).\n\nTech workers have always had plenty of complaints about their jobs — from the long hours to the industry's cutthroat nature. But now they're getting a front-row seat to the disruption their inventions can cause, which can manifest in [colleagues getting the boot](https://www.businessinsider.com/employees-building-ai-tools-help-bosses-employers-lay-off-coworkers-2026-5).\n\nOne therapist called it \"complicity grief.\"\n\nHow quickly this is happening has only exacerbated the problem. As we covered in [The Great Coding Reset](https://www.businessinsider.com/category/the-great-coding-reset) series, new AI models released late last year changed what many in the industry believed was possible in just a few weeks.\n\nEven those who've reached their professional peaks are struggling. The post-IPO glow doesn't last long when you realize chasing the dream was a way to mask bigger problems, Bay Area psychotherapist Annie Wright said.\n\n\"Work is the most socially acceptable addiction,\" Wright told Tracy.\n\n**AI's still giving the rest of us plenty to worry about.**\n\nA top concern for employees and their bosses is [how to evaluate people's AI use](https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-grading-employee-ai-skills-performance-reviews-2026-8), writes BI's Amanda Hoover.\n\nAI leaderboards and tokenmaxxing have fallen out of favor, forcing companies to get creative when grading workers' AI usage.\n\nA big reason is that, to put it mildly, no one knows what the hell they're doing.\n\nA hypothetical AI directive might go a little something like this:\n\n*You definitely need to use AI. Just don't use it too much. We have a budget to consider. Unless it saves us a ton of money, which would be good. But we don't really know how to measure that either, so any help on that front would be great too.*\n\nThe best evidence that everyone's figuring things out on the fly is what some executives told Amanda they value most: an employee who teaches their colleagues the best way to use AI.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-the-people-building-it-to-the-ones-who-have-to-use-it-ai-is-creating-all-of", "canonical_source": "https://www.businessinsider.com/bi-today-newsletter-ai-tech-silicon-valley-therapy-mental-health-2026-8", "published_at": "2026-08-13 11:09:54+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-13 11:18:20.333906+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Business Insider", "Tracy Connor", "Annie Wright", "Amanda Hoover"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-the-people-building-it-to-the-ones-who-have-to-use-it-ai-is-creating-all-of", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-the-people-building-it-to-the-ones-who-have-to-use-it-ai-is-creating-all-of.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-the-people-building-it-to-the-ones-who-have-to-use-it-ai-is-creating-all-of.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/from-the-people-building-it-to-the-ones-who-have-to-use-it-ai-is-creating-all-of.jsonld"}}