Artificial intelligence has introduced many changes into the workplace, but one of the most unusual consequences has been the rise of employees’ gatekeeping knowledge due to their job insecurity. A recent survey revealed that employees are actively holding back on sharing all of their skills and expertise, hoarding knowledge to keep up with the AI-powered workplace. Due to fears of being replaced, workers have grown wary of workplace changes, unsure of what part of their training could be used against them.
All organizations operate on the basic principle of providing employees with training and allowing them to pass their experience down to each new batch of hires. With the distrustful atmosphere that now persists, have we seen the last of the culture of sharing and communal learning?
Due to fears over being replaced, particularly by AI, employees are reportedly gatekeeping their knowledge and skills to stay ahead. (Image: Pexels)
Employees Are Gatekeeping Knowledge as AI-Driven Job Insecurity Reshapes the Workplace
Traditional workplaces have always carried some degree of suspicion, with employees preserving some of their key learnings for themselves to stay ahead of their colleagues. Despite this, organizations have been built on the backs of experienced workers opening their doors to each other, letting new hires in on company secrets and hacks to get the work done more efficiently. Mentorship opportunities have similarly helped businesses thrive, with seniors lending wisdom and a listening ear to juniors to guide their careers. In the modern-day workplace, these bonds appear to be fraying.
A new report from Adaptavist revealed that a new form of “psychological warfare” is taking over workplaces, with considerable knowledge hiding largely due to AI. The report revealed that 35% of employees are hoarding knowledge due to their fears of being replaced, and 38% admit to feeling a reluctance to share their expertise with colleagues, unwilling to lend their personal strengths to others.
The survey also found that 20% of workers experience constant stress about being made redundant by AI. This feeling is higher among Gen Z workers, with 40% of them admitting to feeling the same. This heightened anxiety among Gen Z workers is understandable, as many of them are new to the workplace and are the easiest to replace. Entry-level roles are indeed being automated by AI, and employers have frequently expressed disinterest in hiring these workers.
This Trend Gatekeeping Workplace Knowledge Can Be Detrimental to the Organizational Culture
Job insecurity is on the rise thanks to AI, and this knowledge hoarding is an inevitable consequence of it. Much like the resource hoarding we saw at the beginning of the pandemic, the fear of shortages causes those at the center of it to begin secreting away some of their resources for later use. Employees who possess the skills, knowledge, and techniques that set them apart from colleagues are naturally inclined to lock these tools in their arsenal until they are ready to use them.
At first, this might take the form of employees limiting how much they share while training new colleagues. Over time, this behavior can show in how they communicate critical information as well, doing everything in their power to showcase their performance over others. This allows a culture of suspicion and resentment to grow. This cut-throat attitude may be common in some industries, but there is often a limit to where this behavior shows up.
At times like these, it’s natural for employees to start looking at their coworkers as competitors instead, settling into a “me vs. them” mindset to keep them focused on their own growth. This may be beneficial in individualistic work setups, but in roles that require employees to operate as teams, this can be bad for business.
AI Isn’t Solely to Blame for This Change in Attitude
It’s easy to accuse the technology of cornering employees into gatekeeping knowledge, but the tool is hardly to blame for how it has been utilized. Artificial intelligence has been used to scare workers repeatedly over the last few years, with frequent threats of replacement directed at them. The technology is impressive considering the scale of its capabilities, but the use of AI as an excuse for layoffs has turned workplaces into battlegrounds.
Vervel recently employed a team of its professionals to observe and learn from its employees. It then used the knowledge to train its AI tools on how to do the work, allowing the business to replace a 10-person team with AI and a single worker. Amazon is hoping to replace as many as 600,000 workers with robots by 2033, all of which will likely be operated with AI. With such stories making the rounds, it’s not surprising that workers are submerged in job insecurity, fearing AI and hoarding knowledge to keep themselves ahead of the curve.
Organizations Must Rebrand Their Approach to AI and Explore a More Collaborative Strategy
As evidenced by the happenings of 2025, organizations are not likely to backtrack on the conveniences offered by AI technology entirely. Still, there is hope that many have seen AI pilots fail dramatically and realized this strategy of diving in headfirst has many limitations. This knowledge gatekeeping in the era of AI is a natural response from employees, and it is only likely to spread across the workplace with greater abandon if nothing is done to correct it.
Here, fixing the problem does not imply forcing workers to share what they know or micromanaging their every move to allow employers to learn how they tick. The change should start with restabilizing workplaces and looking ahead to a future where employees learn to work with AI and other technologies that make their way into the workplace.
Communicating with employees, understanding their fears, and providing them with clear answers on what strategies they can expect from their employer can serve as a way to rebuild the trust that has been broken. AI may revolutionize the workplace, but it is too soon to envision workplaces entirely free of human labor. Recommitting to employee training and well-being is one way to help employees feel more secure within the organization, shaping a culture around unified growth.
Have you witnessed employees gatekeeping knowledge for similar AI-based reasons? Share your experience with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.