AI-generated editorial illustration; not a documentary photograph.
People across most of the countries included in a new Pew Research survey expect artificial intelligence to eliminate more jobs than it creates over the next 20 years. The study questioned 42,151 people in 37 countries between February 8 and May 13, capturing views on employment, inequality and AI's growing role in daily life.
Job Loss Fears Dominate
In 34 of the 37 countries surveyed, respondents were more likely to predict that AI would reduce employment than generate new positions. Concern was especially high in several wealthy economies: 76 percent of respondents in both Australia and South Korea expected fewer jobs, as did 71 percent in the US.
These findings describe public expectations rather than measured employment effects or an economic forecast. The survey asks how people think AI will shape work over the next two decades, not how many roles have already disappeared because of the technology.
Inequality Adds to Anxiety
Respondents also tended to believe that AI would widen the gap between rich and poor. That view was particularly common among people in wealthier countries who lean left politically, linking concern about automation with broader unease over how its economic gains may be distributed.
Younger Adults Grow More Concerned
Age influenced attitudes, although the pattern was not uniformly pessimistic. Older adults were generally more worried than younger people about AI's effect on daily life, while those aged 18 to 34 were most likely to report mixed feelings.
The survey also points to rising anxiety among younger adults. In Sweden, Poland, Japan, Australia, Brazil and the US, concern in younger groups increased sharply over the previous year. In the US and Sweden, their worries about AI-related job losses and inequality rose to levels comparable with those of older generations.
Sentiment Is Not Entirely Negative
Despite the economic concerns, the most common position across the survey was ambivalence rather than outright rejection. A global median of 41 percent said they felt equally concerned and excited about AI becoming more present in daily life. That compared with 37 percent who were mainly concerned and 13 percent who were mainly excited.
Source: AI is feared globally as the destroyer of jobs
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