Artificial Intelligence-Related Anxiety Among Banking Sector Employees

Abstract

Employee anxiety in the banking sector is widely documented in the literature. The question of whether artificial intelligence (AI) increases this level of anxiety remains under studied, while the extensive use of AI throughout the sector could represent an additional stress factor. The objective of this research is to determine what forms AI-related anxiety can take in the banking domain and to identify differences according to institutions and hierarchical levels. This study is based on a netnographic approach of the specialized forum Wall Street Oasis, analyzing 60 discussion threads and 1,421 comments from January 2023 to August 2024. The analysis combines ethnographic observation and automated processing via
Python for sentiment analysis and thematic extraction. The results reveal multidimensional
anxiety structured around three axes: technological (tool mastery, reliability, transparency),
professional (job security, skill evolution), and social (isolation, equity, corporate culture).
Several families of concerns emerge: task substitution/automation, career path dequalifica
tion, work intensification, algorithmic surveillance, ethical risks, and inequalities in access to
skills. Significant differences appear between traditional institutions and hedge funds, as well
as between hierarchical levels. This research opens perspectives for studying the impact of AI
on financial sector employee well-being and proposes managerial recommendations for sup
porting this technological transformation.