Christoph Fuchs: The Psychology of AI Job Replacement

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to fundamentally transform labor markets by enabling machines to perform tasks that were previously carried out exclusively by humans. Importantly, this transformation extends beyond manual and routine work to encompass an increasing range of white-collar and professional occupations. In this seminar, I present a stream of recent empirical research examining how workers, consumers, and the general public psychologically respond to the introduction of AI in the workplace.

The research seminar focuses on public reactions to the perceived threat of job replacement by AI, highlighting how individuals evaluate displacement by intelligent technologies relative to displacement by other humans. I discuss research on “management by AI,” exploring how workers respond when supervisory and evaluative functions are delegated to algorithmic systems. In addition, I examine how perceptions of AI as labor-replacing versus labor-enhancing affect broader societal and political attitudes toward technological change. Finally, I present evidence on how people assess the likelihood of their own job being replaced by AI compared to the replacement of others.

Together, this work sheds light on the psychological mechanisms underlying acceptance, resistance, and adaptation to AI-driven labor transformations, with implications for organizations, policymakers, and the future of work.

Christoph Fuchs is Professor of Marketing at the University of Vienna and Academic Director of the Oskar-Morgenstern-Doctoral School. Prior to joining the University of Vienna, he held the Chair of Marketing at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) from 2015 to 2021. During this time, he also served as Academic Program Director of the Master of Management in Technology at the TUM School of Management. Before that, Professor Fuchs was Associate Professor of Marketing at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands from 2010 to 2014 and Assistant Professor of Innovation Management at Aarhus University in Denmark from 2008 to 2010.

His academic career began in Vienna. After completing a master’s degree at WU Vienna (Vienna University of Economics and Business), he earned his PhD in Management with distinction at the University of Vienna.

Professor Fuchs’s research interests lie at the intersection of marketing, technology, and human behavior. His work has been published in leading academic journals, such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Management Science, Nature Human Behaviour, and PNAS. His research has received numerous awards and has been featured by prominent media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, The Times, Fast Company, Forbes, Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Heise Online, and the World Economic Forum. Professor Fuchs also has served as Co-Editor of the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Consumer Research.

Professor Fuchs has taught courses in brand management, marketing strategy, innovation, and new product development in master’s and executive education programs at various renowned universities. He received the Best Teaching Award from the TUM School of Management for his teaching excellence. In addition, he is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences and professional events. Dr. Fuchs also has many years of experience collaborating with companies and organizations. Among others, he has worked on projects with international firms such as Siemens, Infineon, AVL, Nobilia, Advancy, Hella, Linde, Muji, and Luxottica, as well as start-ups including E-tip and Tawny (Hyve).