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Many Americans express concerns about how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect the economy and the job market, according to the latest Economist / YouGov Poll. More Americans are pessimistic than optimistic about AI's long-term effects, but the source of that pessimism varies with age. Young adults are more likely than older Americans to believe that AI will create economic gains that benefit everyone, but they are also more likely to worry that AI will replace jobs they depend upon.
Most Americans (71%) feel that the pace of AI development is moving too fast. About one-quarter (27%) say the pace is about right and only 2% say it is moving too slowly. Democrats (77%) are slightly more likely than Independents (69%) and Republicans (68%) to say that AI is advancing too fast. One-third (33%) of adults under 30 say that AI is moving at about the right pace, the most of any age group, though nearly two-thirds (64%) say that it is moving too fast. Older Americans are most likely to say it is moving too fast: 79% of Americans 65 and older say this.
Most Americans are skeptical that everyone will benefit economically from AI. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans say that it is slightly or very unlikely that AI will create economic gains that benefit everyone; only 8% say it is very likely to do so and 28% say it is somewhat likely to. Democrats are least likely to think AI will benefit everyone economically: 48% say this is very unlikely, compared to 40% of Independents and 31% of Republicans. Majorities in all three groups say it is unlikely.
Younger Americans are more likely than older Americans to think that AI will lead to economic gains for all. Nearly half (45%) of adults under 30 say it is somewhat or very likely. Less than one-third of Americans 45 and older say the same. Still, majorities in each age group say economic gains for everyone are unlikely.
Americans exhibit a wide range of concern about AI's effect on jobs that they and their families depend upon, equally split across four levels of concern. About one-quarter of Americans are very worried (25%), somewhat worried (26%), slightly worried (25%), and not worried at all (24%). A February Economist / YouGov Poll found that about two-thirds of Americans think AI will reduce the number of jobs available in the U.S., so these results suggest that Americans may be somewhat less worried about AI's effects on their family's job prospects — or for some people, not that dependent on jobs — than they are about the U.S. job market overall.
While younger Americans express less concern than older Americans about the pace of AI development and the distribution of economic gains, younger adults are more likely to worry about AI replacing jobs they and their families depend upon. 60% of adults under 30 are somewhat or very worried that AI will replace jobs they rely on.
Americans with lower family incomes are more likely than those with higher incomes to worry about AI replacing jobs. A majority (56%) of Americans with family incomes under $50,000 per year are somewhat or very worried about AI replacing jobs they rely on, compared to 47% of Americans with higher family incomes.
Taken together, these factors help explain why twice as many Americans say they are pessimistic than say they are optimistic about the long-term impact of AI on society (51% vs. 25%). Democrats (59%) are slightly more likely than Independents (50%) and Republicans (46%) to feel pessimistic about AI's impacts. Within age groups, optimism about AI's long-term effects ranges from 19% of 45- to 64-year-olds to 33% of adults under 30, but AI pessimists substantially outnumber optimists among each group.
Believing that AI will economically benefit everyone is strongly correlated with optimism about AI's long-term effects. A majority (55%) of Americans who say it is somewhat or very likely that AI will create economic gains that benefit everyone also say they feel optimistic about AI's long-term effects. In contrast, about two-thirds (69%) of Americans who think it is unlikely that AI will benefit everyone feel pessimistic about AI.
Worry about AI's effect on the job market is also strongly correlated with pessimism about AI. Three-quarters (74%) of Americans who are very worried about AI replacing jobs they and their families depend upon say they are pessimistic about AI's long-term effects. In contrast, only about half (48%) of Americans who are somewhat or slightly worried say they feel pessimistic about AI, as do only one-third (35%) who are not worried at all.
Image: Getty (Justin Sullivan / Staff)
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