Americans Fear AI Permanently Displacing Workers: Reuters/Ipsos Poll

Americans are deeply concerned that advances in artificial intelligence could permanently eliminate jobs, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, Jason Lange and Alexandra Alper reported for Reuters.

While there are few signs of mass unemployment, the poll showed 77% fear AI could also be used to fuel political chaos, reflecting growing unease over its role in creating convincing fake videos and misinformation.

The six-day survey, which ended Monday, found 71% of respondents worried that AI will “put too many people out of work permanently.”

The issue entered the national spotlight in late 2022 after OpenAI’s ChatGPT became the fastest-growing app in history, prompting tech giants like Meta, Google, and Microsoft to launch rival AI products.

So far, there are few signs of mass unemployment—the U.S. jobless rate stood at 4.2% in July—but the poll showed 77% fear AI could also be used to fuel political chaos, reflecting growing unease over its role in creating convincing fake videos and misinformation.