Over half of Americans fear ‘major impact by AI on workersAs artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT continue to advance and integrate into various aspects of daily life, concerns have arisen among Americans about the potential negative consequences of AI.
The application of AI in workplaces, for instance, has been met with a mixture of opinions and apprehension. The root of these concerns often stems from issues related to discrimination, bias, and the impact of AI on the job market.
AI in the workplace: A mixed reception
A recent Pew Research Center survey has shed light on the American public’s varied opinions regarding AI usage in workplace operations.
Many Americans oppose the idea of AI making final hiring decisions by a margin of 71% to 7%, while the majority also disapprove of AI being utilized for making firing decisions.
Furthermore, public opinion is divided on the use of AI for tracking workers’ movements and monitoring their presence at work.
However, there are cases where people believe AI could outperform humans in workplace tasks. For example, 47% of respondents feel that AI would be better at evaluating job applicants consistently, as opposed to only 15% who believe AI would be worse than humans in this area.
Moreover, those who believe racial and ethnic bias is a problem in performance evaluations generally think that increased AI usage by employers would improve the hiring and evaluation process.
The survey also highlighted that a larger share of Americans believe AI will significantly affect workers in general, but not necessarily have a major impact on them personally.
Some 62% think that AI will have a major impact on workers over the next 20 years, while just 28% believe it will have a major impact on their own lives.
When considering the potential benefits or harms of AI in the workplace, more Americans believe it will hurt workers than help them.
Only 16% of adults think they will be more helped than hurt, while 15% believe they will be more hurt than helped. Additionally, 56% think that AI will have a major impact on the U.S. economy in the next 20 years.
Americans’ diverse opinions on AI applications
Americans express a wide range of views on AI usage by employers. While they strongly oppose some applications, such as making final hiring decisions or reviewing job applications, they are more supportive of others. Overall, the public is uncomfortable with the idea of giving final decision-making power to computer programs.
Similar patterns are observed when it comes to AI analysis for determining employee-related decisions like promotions or firings. Adults oppose these prospects by significant margins.
Interestingly, opinions on AI monitoring and the use of facial recognition technology in workplaces also vary across different demographic groups, including income, gender, race and ethnicity, and age.
Bottomline is the rapid development and integration of AI systems into the workplace have led to a complex mix of opinions and concerns among Americans.
While some potential benefits are acknowledged, the public remains cautious about the possible negative consequences of AI on workers and the job market.
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