Americans split on whether they think AI will make job market worse: Poll

Americans are nearly split over whether they believe artificial intelligence (AI) will decrease the number of available jobs in the future as the technology advances, according to a new poll.

According to a new YouGov poll, released Tuesday, 34 percent of employed Americans said they are very or somewhat concerned about the possibility of AI resulting in them losing their own job or having their specific hours or salary cut. About 28 percent said they are not very concerned, while 35 percent said they are not at all concerned.

The number of those very or somewhat concerned about AI's impact on the job market remained similar to those observed in March of this year, when 35 percent said they felt that way.

Nearly half (48 percent) of employed Americans said they think AI will generally decrease the number of jobs available in their industry. This is up from 29 percent in March 2023, and 41 percent in July 2023.

The findings come as AI's use expands across various industries, bringing the potential for altered workflows and hours for employees. Several studies show introducing language-based AI software in the workplace benefits less-skilled workers more than highly skilled ones, prompting concerns from economists and labor unions that jobs could be outsourced to lower-paid regions of the globe.

Just 2 percent of Americans surveyed said they have personally experienced a job loss or a reduction in hours or salary because of developments in AI, pollsters noted. About 71 percent said they do not know anyone, including themselves, who lost their job or had their hours or salary drop because of AI advances.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have pressed AI companies on their regulations as the technology quickly evolves.

The YouGov survey was conducted online among 1,098 U.S. adult citizens. The margin of error for the overall sample is about 4 percentage points.