Young Adults Afraid AI Will Take Jobs

More than half (52%) of Americans said they are more concerned than excited about the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life, which is up from 37% in 2021, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 22-28.

Concern about AI is up among younger and older Americans alike since Pew first asked this question in 2021. But while the rise in the first two years was mainly among Americans ages 30 and older, concern continued to climb for adults under 30. For the first time, a majority of adults under 30 (55%) said they’re more concerned than excited about AI. About one-in-ten said they’re more excited than concerned, and roughly one-third feel both concern and excitement equally. The concern among younger Americans is now on par with those in their 30s and 40s, and those 65 and up. Excitement has dropped off since 2021 among all age groups.

Even in 2021, job loss was one of the top reasons Americans were concerned about AI. Now, Americans largely and increasingly think AI-related job loss is on the horizon. Most (71%) of adults think AI will lead to fewer jobs in the U.S. during the next two decades, up from 64% in 2024. Few (5%) said AI will lead to more jobs. One-in-ten said it won’t make much difference.

Now across most age groups, Pew found it’s more common for Americans to believe job losses will result from AI. Specifically, 73% of adults under 30 now said AI will lead to fewer jobs, up from 61% two years ago.