It can feel like everyone else already has AI figured out. A competitor has rolled it out, a coworker is finishing work in half the time, and another company just announced its AI strategy. In this episode of Cultivating Intelligence, Christine looks at a feeling researchers have started to study directly: AI FOMO, the fear of being left behind. It isn't limited to people who are new to technology. In a 2026 Nature survey of more than 1,900 researchers, many said they felt pressure to adopt AI even though they had real doubts about it. And one of the best defenses against that anxiety may not be enthusiasm at all, but understanding.
To make sense of why we follow the crowd, Christine turns to the natural world. Birds flock, fish school, and ants build trails that let thousands of individuals move as one, because following others is often a smart way to survive. But nature also depends on variation, and a population where everyone responds the same way has nothing in reserve when conditions change. That difference between adapting and simply imitating shows up in schools, where new studies link heavy AI reliance to weaker critical thinking and poorer long-term memory. The point isn't that students should avoid AI. It's that some kinds of struggle are how learning actually happens, and education will need to decide which ones are worth keeping.
The same question reaches into leadership and the arts. Leaders are being encouraged to let AI summarize, analyze, and draft, yet much of their most important thinking happens before any output exists. Artists have survived photography, recorded sound, and synthesizers, but generative AI can reduce the need to know how to make something at all. Drawing on the idea of cultivation, Christine makes the case for a path between resisting change and racing ahead without thinking. The real question may not be whether AI will leave us behind, but what we are willing to leave behind to keep up, and what we might later realize we needed.
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Citation list
- Yu, C-L. (2025). “Fear of missing out on AI: A psychological cost of technological revolution.” Telematics and Informatics Reports, 20, 100277. The U.S. study of 557 adults found elevated FOMO-AI among more than one in nine participants and identified AI literacy as a potential buffer. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277250302500091X
- Fengyi, D., et al. (2025). “When everyone is talking about AI: The development of fear of missing out on AI scale.” Telematics and Informatics, 100, 102283. Introduces the FoMO-AI construct and dimensions including backwardness anxiety, access concerns and concern about missing AI-related benefits. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0736585325000450
- Basu, M. (2026). “Scientists have a bad case of AI FOMO, Nature poll reveals.” Nature, June 9, 2026. Reports results from more than 1,900 researchers and the tension between negative attitudes toward AI and pressure to adopt it. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01690-7
- Tian, J. & Zhang, R. (2025). “Learners' AI dependence and critical thinking: The psychological mechanism of fatigue and the social buffering role of AI literacy.” Acta Psychologica, 260, 105725. Study of 580 university students examining AI dependence, cognitive fatigue, information literacy and critical thinking. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41076923/
- “ChatGPT as a cognitive crutch: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial on knowledge retention.” (2025). Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 102287. Randomized study of 120 undergraduates found lower performance on a surprise retention test 45 days later among the ChatGPT-assisted group. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125010186
- Gallup (2026). “Global Indicator: Artificial Intelligence.” Gallup's workplace research reports that manager support is a major driver of frequent workplace AI adoption. https://www.gallup.com/699797/indicator-artificial-intelligence.aspx
- Queen Mary University of London (2025). CREAATIF research into generative AI and creative-industry workers. Research involving 335 creative workers examined concerns about job security, value, working conditions and AI's potential benefits. https://www.qmul.ac.uk/news/latest-news/2025/queen-mary-news/pr/creative-industry-workers-feel-job-worth-and-security-under-threat-from-ai-.html
- “AI FoMO in SME Decision-Makers' Reflections on AI Adoption: A Mixed-Method Approach.” (2026). Proceedings of Mensch und Computer 2026. Explores competitive pressure, social comparison, limited evaluative capability and fear of falling behind in organizational AI adoption. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3820253.3820263
What is Cultivating Intelligence?
Cultivating Intelligence is a thought-provoking podcast exploring how we create, lead, and adapt in a world shaped by art, nature, and artificial intelligence. Through the lenses of creativity, nature, and AI, each episode unpacks powerful ideas about leadership, systems thinking, innovation, and digital transformation, without the corporate jargon.
This podcast challenges conventional thinking around control, growth, failure, and creativity, offering practical insights for leaders, creators, and curious minds navigating complex environments. If you’re interested in AI’s impact on creativity, leadership in uncertain systems, and how real growth happens, Cultivating Intelligence connects the dots in a way that’s both strategic and deeply human.