Is Downplaying AI Just Rational Self-Interest?

I'm generally on the pro-AI side, and I honestly can't stand some of the irrational anti-AI comments I see on Reddit. But if I were to steelman the other side, the argument might go something like this: Suppose AI is genuinely capable of automating a substantial portion of my job. If my manager recognizes this, my job security might deteriorate. If my manager believes AI is unreliable, overhyped, or generally useless, there's less incentive to replace me with it. Therefore, even if I privately recognize AI's capabilities, I have an incentive to publicly downplay them. So I do wonder what percentage of people who constantly dismiss AI's capabilities are actually operating under this logic, whether consciously or unconsciously. Because from the perspective of individual self-interest, being publicly anti-AI might actually be the rational position. Thoughts?