# Futurophobia and AI: how fear of tomorrow is changing management and mental health at companies

Research shows how uncertainty about technology and a lack of prospects affect the new generations, and what leaders can do to support their teams.

- Section: Culture & Management
- Published: October 19, 2026
- Address: https://ceoone.com.br/en/article/futurophobia-and-ai-how-fear-of-tomorrow-is-changing-management
- Em português: https://ceoone.com.br/artigo/futurofobia-e-ia-como-o-medo-do-amanha-esta-mudando-a-gestao-e-a-saude.md

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Photo: Vitaly Gariev/Pexels

## Key points

- Teach the Future survey: 78.5% of young people associate the word anxiety with the future and 62% say they fear what might happen.
- A SoU_Ciência (Unifesp) survey with Instituto Ideia lists the lack of prospects for the future among the biggest concerns of young people aged 18 to 27.
- Futurist Rosa Alegria proposes futures literacy: treating tomorrow as a territory of choices, not an inevitable destination.

A scenario of economic uncertainty, accelerated technological change and climate emergency poses a new and complex challenge for the corporate world and people management. Data published in the "A Fundo - Mente e Cérebro" issue of the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo show that fear and a lack of prospects for tomorrow have become central to the mental health of the new generations. A recent survey by SoU_Ciência (Unifesp) in partnership with Instituto Ideia points to the "lack of prospects for the future" as one of the biggest concerns of young people aged 18 to 27. At the same time, international research by Teach the Future shows that 78.5% of young people associate the word "anxiety" with thinking about the future and 62% say they are afraid of what might happen.

This phenomenon, which the study calls futurophobia (the perception that what is coming will likely be worse than the present) reflects an emotional response to objective conditions of social, climate and economic instability. Constant pressure for an idealized success, added to the advance of artificial intelligence and the volatility of the job market, heightens the sense of paralysis and discouragement. According to the Pew Research Center, the rapid expansion of AI has had a direct effect of anxiety and a perceived loss of autonomy at work and in society.

In this context, corporate management and executive leaders are challenged to move from a model based purely on demanding metrics to a stance of mediation and building sustainable horizons. As futurist Rosa Alegria writes in an article for Fast Company Brasil, the way out of the cycle of anxiety and uncertainty lies in developing futures literacy. The approach proposes that the future be seen not as an inevitable, frightening destination, but as a territory open to strategic choices and to active construction in the present.

Bringing futures studies and anticipatory intelligence methods into organizations makes it possible to turn technological and environmental fear into the capacity for adaptation and social innovation. On the level of organizational culture and managing multigenerational teams, specialists interviewed by O Estado de S. Paulo stress that reducing mental illness requires environments based on psychological safety, autonomy and a rethinking of what corporate success means.

Far from being a matter confined to the individual or to therapy, facing anxiety about the future is becoming a strategic governance and leadership issue. Organizations able to listen actively, offer clarity of purpose and give their people tools to map out paths with real impact tend to lead not only in talent retention, but also in building more resilient businesses prepared for the transformations of the coming decades.

## Sources and editorial notes

- Reference reporting: O Estado de S. Paulo (research by Unifesp/SoU_Ciência, Teach the Future and Pew Research Center), Fast Company Brasil (Rosa Alegria) and academic literature on futures studies.

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