Major concerns about AI's impact
The majority of adults in the United States are concerned that artificial intelligence adoption will trigger job losses, according to a new poll from Reuters and Ipsos.
The survey, carried out between August 13 and 18, revealed that 71% of the respondents are concerned that "too many people will lose jobs" because of AI.
Only 28% of the respondents are not concerned, according to the survey, which had 4,446 adult respondents.
Job insecurities from AI
The poll's findings reflect prevailing job insecurity concerns triggered by AI, which previous reports indicated would significantly disrupt the job market.
Findings from the World Economic Forum (WEF) earlier this year indicated that 41% of employers plan to downsize their workforce where AI can replicate people's work.
The data mirrors real-life trends. In 2023, a ResumeBuilder survey found that 37% of employers have laid off employees because they were no longer needed due to AI use.
In April, Duolingo announced that it will gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also said in June that he expects AI use to reduce the company's total corporate workforce.
White House's take on job losses
But White House AI czar David Sacks said he doesn't believe AI adoption will lead to a giant wave of unemployment.
"I think it's actually very hard to replace a human job entirely. I think it's easier to replace pieces of it," Sacks said earlier this year.
Research also indicates that while AI will lead to job losses, it will be offset by the creation of new jobs.
Findings from the ManpowerGroup last year showed that 55% of employers globally are planning to increase headcount over the next two years because of AI.
According to Sacks, AI adoption will see humans replacing pieces of their job with agents to make themselves more productive.
"As they do that, they find other things to adopt and incorporate into their jobs as well," he added.
Pessimistic take on AI
Meanwhile, the Reuters and Ipsos report found that Americans appear to be pessimistic when it comes to AI. According to the poll, they believe AI will:
- Incite political chaos (77%)
- Replace in-person relationships (66%)
- Increase electricity consumption (61%)
More than half of the respondents also believe AI could risk the future of humankind (58%) and will have uncontrollable consequences (67%). Nearly half also said AI is bad for humanity (47%).
Research has indicated that reducing AI concerns will need further understanding of the technology.
In workplaces, where employees are worried about AI's accuracy in providing responses, employers are urged to provide teams with effective training on AI use.
"By equipping teams with effective training and clear guidelines, organisations can empower their workforce to unlock the true, transformational impact of AI," said Rich Veldran, CEO of GoTo, in a previous statement.
