If the early 2000s were marked by FOMO (fear of missing out), then the 2020s will be defined by its much more worrying counterpart, FOBO, or the fear of becoming obsolete. FOBO first emerged in 2023, when global education and technology company Cengage coined the term to describe one’s anxiety of AI and technological advancements making their skills obsolete. A 2023 Gallup survey, which polled 1,000 workers in the US, revealed that 22 per cent are worried about AI’s impact on their job security, highlighting a growing apprehension about technology’s influence on employment.
FOBO is not exactly a new phenomenon, but its prevalence has grown tremendously over the period between 2021 and 2023 – interestingly, coinciding with the mainstream adoption of generative AI, with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022. Attesting to its growing prevalence, The Financial Times reported in March 2024 that Singapore’s Temasek Holdings is in discussions to invest in OpenAI, which is also backed by Microsoft.
Besides chatbots driven by AI,
