More than half of Americans express concern that artificial intelligence technology might eliminate employment for themselves or family members, according to fresh polling data from Reuters and Ipsos that also reveals growing unease about the technology’s rapid expansion.
The survey, conducted over six days and concluded on Monday, discovered that 53% of respondents shared these employment concerns, with worries distributed relatively equally among different age groups, genders, and educational backgrounds.
Meanwhile, 37% of those polled indicated no concern about AI-related job displacement, while the remaining 10% were either uncertain or declined to respond.
The polling comes after several major corporations announced workforce reductions linked to AI initiatives, including software company Intuit, which informed employees last month of plans to eliminate 17% of its global staff to optimize operations and focus on key priorities including artificial intelligence projects. Students at the University of Arizona expressed disapproval last month when former Google CEO Eric Schmidt addressed AI’s effects during a graduation speech.
The technology’s potential applications in political messaging, entertainment, and military operations have generated concerns from government officials and even Pope Leo XIV.
While numerous job cuts have occurred at technology companies, the broader impact on America’s employment market remains uncertain. Recent months have shown robust job creation across the U.S. economy.
DEMOCRATS MORE WORRIED
Democratic voters show greater AI skepticism compared to Republicans, reflecting party demographics where Democrats draw more college-educated supporters while Republicans have gained working-class voters since President Donald Trump’s emergence. Among Democrats, 61% expressed worry about AI threatening household employment, versus 47% of Republicans.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey included 4,531 American adults nationwide, with results carrying a 2 percentage point margin of error.
Jennifer Schalhoub, a 62-year-old freelance writer from Little Ferry, New Jersey, recently lost her position writing advocacy letters to government officials for policy issues, a job loss she believes may be connected to AI’s growth.
“AI is taking over because people care less and less about the quality of the work that gets produced,” Schalhoub said.
Artificial intelligence gained national attention in 2022 when OpenAI, a prominent AI developer, introduced ChatGPT, a public-facing tool that responds to user inquiries similarly to humans and created a new internet search method that immediately challenged Google’s parent company Alphabet.
Anthropic, another major AI firm, has rapidly expanded its corporate client base, including through sales of its computer programming assistant Claude Code. Both Anthropic and OpenAI have generated significant Wall Street interest with their public stock offering plans.
The polling found college graduates report higher AI usage rates, with 50% saying they use it regularly, compared to 34% of non-degree holders and 40% overall.
About 73% of Americans expressed concern about expanding AI use, representing a slight increase from 68% who shared that worry in a 2023 Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Lauren Hayes, a clinical psychologist in Washington state, said she became worried after several clients mentioned consulting AI between therapy appointments for anxiety help.
“I don’t believe that artificial intelligence is able to have the nuance that a person has,” said Hayes.
