Global Courant
How worried are US workers about losing their jobs due to artificial intelligence? According to a new CNBC poll, the majority are not, but the data shows that the answer to that question varies widely based on some key demographic factors.
A quarter of workers (24%) fear AI will make their jobs obsolete, but fears of AI displacing jobs are much higher among workers of color, younger workers and lower wage earners, according to the latest CNBC/SurveyMonkey Employee Survey.
By the numbers:
Concern decreases with age: 32% of workers aged 18-24 say they are concerned, compared to only 14% of workers aged 65 and over. The 19% of white workers who are concerned is significantly less than the 32% of black workers, Hispanic workers, and 38% of Asian workers say they are concerned. 30% of workers making less than $50,000 are concerned, compared to 16% of those making more than $150,000. Employees who work entirely remotely are much more likely than employees who work entirely in person (54% vs. 38%) to say their jobs are likely to change due to AI disruption, a finding consistent with other survey data that show greater fears in remote employees about falling behind in careers as more employees return to in-person.
The survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey between May 23 and May 31 among nearly 9,000 US employees.
Where knowledge workers are concerned about AI
While low-wage work has long been seen as a target of automation, industry survey data shows that more recent concerns about knowledge worker displacement are also a major factor in the level of fear. About half of employees in advertising and marketing (51%) and business support and logistics (46%) worried that AI will soon take their jobs — twice as many worries overall.
Even if the majority of the workforce is unconcerned, workers expect their jobs to change as a result of AI. Forty-three percent say they expect their jobs to change significantly over the next five years as a result of AI disruption.
AI experts have maintained that while there will inevitably be job losses due to AI, the technology will present both opportunities and threats.
“Technology could automate some of someone’s work,” Michael Chui, a partner in the McKinsey Global Institute who focuses on AI, said in a recent interview with CNBC’s Sharon Epperson. “And you could describe that as technology that therefore increases their job. It gives someone super powers, because if technology can write you a first draft of a memo, for example … I do more things than write memos.”
There were reports at the Davos World Economic Forum in January that CEOs were using ChatGPT to write initial drafts of speeches.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, speaks during a keynote address announcing ChatGPT integration for Bing at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, on Feb. 7, 2023.
Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images
If this AI outcome pans out as predicted, individual workers will see increased productivity, Chui says. Some of the first academic research into AI and productivity has yielded major gains.
But Chui said if you calculate with AI and work, handing off tasks to AI could impact the workforce. “If machines can do 15% of someone’s job and there are 100 people doing that job, a manager might ask, ‘Do I need 100 or 85 people?’ On the other hand, we see other managers say, ‘I want 100 people and I want them all to be more productive.'”
Many experts say that workers today should experiment with generative AI to keep their jobs, for example with lawyers or teachers of the future who have adapted to using AI in their roles. All the way to the world’s most powerful jobs are workers experimenting with OpenAI’s groundbreaking ChatGPT — Apple CEO Tim Cook said this week that he’s using the OpenAI product.
In fact, the survey shows that C-level (23%) and VP-level executives (27%) are about twice as likely as individual contributors (12%) to say that the subject of AI has been discussed “a lot” in their workplace.
Most employees today do not use AI
But the survey shows that of those who say they use AI because it’s already necessary to do their jobs, more than half fear AI will soon make their jobs obsolete, an indicator that the places where AI has already moved scattered, are quickly disturbed. But that’s a small subgroup: a majority (64%) of employees say they don’t use AI at all at work; 26% say AI can help but is not necessary, and only 8% say the use of AI is required.
“Most employees don’t use AI to do their jobs regularly, but those who do seem intimidated by the new technology and what it could mean for them in the long run,” said Laura Wronski, senior research manager of science at Momentive.
Many employees (43%) say they expect their jobs to change significantly over the next five years as a result of AI disruption. “Even if they haven’t been affected yet, many employees are nervous about how different things could be if they relied more on AI for tasks that used to be done manually,” Wronski said.
Employees will need to think about the skills they need that complement the technology, Chui said, adding that companies and HR departments also need to think about these issues to build a workforce of the future that competitive.
“Everyone is going to have to struggle with this because the technology will be adopted and the work everyone is doing will continue to change,” he said.
“I think the concern about what the impact will be on employees also has to do with whether we can more quickly and effectively hone these skills in our workforce,” said Anu Madgavkar, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute. “And when we do that, we’ll achieve the dual goals… the higher productivity potential, but also the ability for more employees to be engaged in more fulfilling, productive and profitable work.”
But the research shows that the discussion about AI in the workplace remains the exception outside of the tech industry to date, with only 14% of employees saying the subject of AI has been discussed “a lot” in their workplace. A third say it’s been talked about “a little”, but more than half (51%) say it hasn’t been talked about at all.
To join the CNBC Workforce Executive Council, apply at cnbccouncils.com/wec.
