A latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) in various industries, American society's concerns about employment prospects have increased significantly. About half of Americans are worried that they or their family members may lose their jobs due to AI.The six-day national survey ended on Monday. The results showed that 53% of the respondents expressed this concern, and this concern was relatively evenly distributed among people of different ages, genders and education levels. About 37% of the respondents said they were not worried about this issue at all, and about 10% said they were unsure or chose not to answer.
The poll comes after several major companies announced AI-related layoffs, including software company Intuit. The company told employees last month that it would cut 17% of its global workforce to streamline operations and sharpen its focus on key business directions, including AI. At the same time, AI controversy continues to ferment in public circles. Last month, when former Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke about the impact of AI at a University of Arizona graduation ceremony, students in the room booed him. As AI may be used in areas such as political propaganda, entertainment and even war, some elected officials and even Pope Leo XIV have issued warnings.
Although technology companies frequently announce layoffs, the true impact of AI on the overall U.S. job market remains to be seen. The U.S. economy has continued to add jobs recently, and overall employment data has been strong. However, at a socio-emotional level, anxiety is clearly evident. Polls have found that a higher proportion of Democratic voters than Republican voters are skeptical of AI. Democrats are more likely to appeal to college-educated groups, while Republicans have grown in support among the working class since the rise of President Donald Trump. In this survey, 61% of Democratic supporters expressed concern that AI would threaten the jobs of family members, compared with 47% of Republican supporters.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted among 4,531 adult respondents across the United States. The survey was conducted from June 3 to June 8. The overall sample error margin was plus or minus 2 percentage points, and the error for subgroups was approximately plus or minus 3 percentage points. Many of the interviewees have already felt the impact. Jennifer Schallerhub, a 62-year-old freelance writer from Little Ferry, New Jersey, said she recently lost her job writing letters and advocating for specific policies, and she suspected that was partly related to the rise of AI. She believes that the reason why AI is rapidly replacing humans is that "people increasingly don't care about the quality of their work results."
Artificial intelligence will enter public view on a large scale in American society in 2022. That year, the AI company OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a product for ordinary consumers. This tool can answer user questions in a human-like manner and provides a new information retrieval method that is different from traditional search engines. It is regarded as a direct threat to the existing business of Google parent company Alphabet. Another AI company, Anthropic, has also quickly gained a foothold among enterprise customers, including by selling Claude Code, a tool to assist in writing computer code. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have attracted huge attention on Wall Street with plans to issue shares to the public.
Polls also show that the more educated people are, the more frequently they use AI. Overall, 40% of respondents said they often use AI, and among college graduates, this proportion reaches 50%, which is significantly higher than the 34% of people without a college degree. The survey is also based on an online questionnaire of 4,531 adults between June 3 and 8. The statistical error of the relevant data is about plus or minus 2 percentage points.
On a broader level, 73% of Americans express concern about society’s increasing use of AI. This is a slight increase from 68% in the 2023 Reuters/Ipsos poll, indicating that public concerns have deepened over the past year. Some interviewees focused their concerns on the ethical and psychological risks that AI may bring. Lauren Hess, a clinical psychologist in Washington state, said she has noticed that some clients turn to AI to relieve anxiety between two psychotherapy sessions. She pointed out that she does not think AI can have the "delicate understanding and emotional grasp" required for communication between people.
The results of this survey show that at a time when AI is rapidly penetrating politics, economy, and daily life, American society has become increasingly sensitive to the balance between technological progress, employment security, and mental health. Although macro employment data have not yet fully reflected the large-scale impact, discussions and disagreements in American society are intensifying around the future direction of AI, regulatory intensity, and its potential impact on the livelihoods of ordinary families.