- One in six US workers say they lie about using AI to meet job expectations
- Engineers who use AI are the new threat, not the tools themselves
- Many workers copy AI-literate peers just to appear competent in modern workplaces
As AI tools spread across office environments, many US workers now find themselves in an odd situation: pretending to use artificial intelligence at work.
A recent survey by tech recruitment firm Howdy.com found that one in six employees claim to lie about using AI.
This phenomenon appears to be a reaction not only to managerial expectations but also to deeper insecurities around job stability in an AI saturated landscape.
Survival of the most artificial
Underneath the behavior is what some are calling “AI-nxiety,” an unease born from conflicting narratives.
On the one hand, companies urge employees to embrace AI to boost productivity; on the other hand, those same workers are warned that AI, or someone more skilled at using it, could soon replace them.
This sense of pressure is particularly acute when considering workers who fear being displaced by technically skilled peers, such as engineers who actively use LLM based systems and other AI tools.
As one commenter put it on The Register: “You may lose your job to an engineer who uses AI.”
For some, the message is clear: adapt or get left behind.
In late 2023, a survey by EY found that two thirds of white collar US workers feared being passed over for promotion by AI savvy colleagues.
In this environment, mimicking the behavior of the AI literate becomes a way to hedge against obsolescence.
Further complicating the picture is the lack of adequate training.
Howdy.com reports that a quarter of workers expected to use AI receive no instruction on how to do so.
Without proper guidance, many are stuck between expectations from management and the reality of poorly integrated AI systems.
Some give up on mastering the tools and simply act like they are already doing it.
Meanwhile, contradictory workplace norms deepen the confusion.
Another survey from Slack’s Workforce Index found that nearly half of global desk workers felt uncomfortable telling managers they use AI, worrying it may make them appear lazy or unoriginal.
Thus, some pretend not to use AI even when they do.
At the heart of the issue is a growing mismatch between what companies signal, “AI is the future,” and what employees experience: unclear expectations, low support, and shifting norms around competence.
Whether AI actually replaces jobs or not, the psychological toll is already here, and pretending to be an AI user has become a strange new survival strategy.
