Poll: 70% of Americans 'concerned' AI will take jobs

A close-up image shows a computer chip labeled “AI” connected to a circuit board illuminated with green light. (Immo Wegmann / Unsplash)

By Andrew Rice

The Center Square

Roughly 70% of Americans said they were at least "somewhat concerned" that artificial intelligence could replace their jobs, according to a new poll. 

The Center Square's Voters Voice Poll found 34% of registered voters reported feeling "somewhat concerned" that AI would do their jobs. The poll also found roughly 36% of Americans said they were "very concerned about AI replacing them at work."

The Voters Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, surveyed 2,585 registered voters from June 1 to June 4. Respondents were comprised of 915 Republicans, 1,013 Democrats and 297 true Independents, which means individuals who did not lean toward either major party when asked. 

About 17% of registered voters said they were "not too concerned" about AI replacing their jobs and about 9% of voters said they were "not at all concerned." 

Overall, individuals with less education reported greater levels of concern about AI replacing their jobs. Roughly 40% of respondents with a high school degree or less said they were "very concerned" about AI taking their jobs. About 38% of respondents with no college degree said the same. 

Mike Noble, founder of Noble Predictive Insights, said people with less education were more concerned about AI replacing them. He said AI companies need to focus on ways to educate people about impact, rather than scaling data center facilities. 

"Instead of just, 'hey, we need to build this stuff,' they need to educate folks on what this does for them, and also how can they leverage it as a tool," Noble said. 

There also appeared to be a correlation in levels of concern and lower houshold income. Roughly 41% of individuals with a household income lower than $50,000 per year reported concerns about AI replacing them at work. 

"The lower education you have, the less kind of plugged in you are, the more concerned you are regarding it," Noble said. 

Across the political spectrum, Democrats appeared to be more concerned about AI's impact on the workforce, compared to Republicans. About 41% of Democrat respondents said they were "very concerned" about AI taking over their jobs, compared to 31% of Republicans who said the same. 

About 32% of true Independents said they were concerned that AI would take over their jobs. Overall, female respondents were more likely to be concerned about AI taking over their jobs whereas 11% of males said they were "not at all concerned" about AI taking their jobs – the highest percentage response in the category. 

Across age groups, most respondents shared similar levels of concern. About 72% of respondents age 65 and older reported concerns over AI replacing their jobs or those of others in the community. 

Respondents ages 18-29 and 30-44 appeared less concerned about AI replacing their jobs. About 66% of respondents age 18-29 reported concerns and 71% of adults ages 30-44 reported similar levels of concern. 

Noble said younger people have a greater understanding of the impact of AI on the workforce in the long run. He said educating people on AI's use as a tool, rather than a replacement is essential. 

"Anytime you add AI or artificial intelligence in there, people are just very skeptical of it," Noble said.