Existential Predictors of AI Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Study

The present study explored associations between individual-difference variables and artificial intelligence (AI) anxiety using self- reported online questionnaires completed by 221 participants. The variables included existential reflection, existential anxiety, curiosity and exploration, AI literacy, and general anxiety, alongside sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, and job exposure to AI. A multiple regression model, which accounted for 23.7% of the variance in AI anxiety scores ( R2 = 0.237, adjusted R2 = 0.214), showed that higher existential anxiety and higher existential reflection were independently associated with higher AI anxiety, whereas higher AI literacy was associated with lower AI anxiety. The findings highlight the importance of existential concerns and AI literacy in understanding individual differences in AI anxiety. They also suggest that AI-related anxiety should not be regarded solely as a symptom to be reduced: within a humanistic-existential framework, it may sometimes represent a meaningful response to perceived changes in human agency, identity, and purpose.