Well, this should come as no surprise to absolutely everyone: Americans, particularly younger generations like Gen Z, are increasingly worried about AI and its potential to take their jobs. This finding comes from a new survey from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Pew Research Center, which conducted the research in June.
Concern about artificial intelligence is up particularly among young adults under 30, whose skepticism recently made headlines when college graduates booed speaker after speaker at commencement addresses for praising and touting AI’s benefits.
In fact, for the first time since Pew started the survey in 2021, a majority of Americans under 30 (55%) now say they’re “more concerned than excited” about AI—which is roughly the same level of skepticism expressed by Americans in their thirties, forties, late sixties, and older.
However, what is surprising is that the generation that seems to be most comfortable with AI is none other than Gen X (50- to 61-year-olds). That age group is the only one in which a majority did not say they are “more concerned than excited” about AI.
The survey found, overall, more than half of Americans (52%) are “more concerned than excited” about the increased use of AI in everyday life, up from 37% five years ago. (Only 9% are “more excited than concerned,” while 37% say they’re “equally concerned and excited.”)
Five years ago, job loss was one of the top reasons for people’s concern about AI. Today they are even more worried: A whopping 71% of adults told researchers they believe AI will lead to fewer jobs in the U.S. over the next two decades, up from 64% in 2024. Only 5% believe the technology will lead to more jobs.
Of those surveyed who are younger than 30, 73% said they believe AI will lead to fewer jobs—up from 61% two years ago. They now hold this view at the same rate as their older counterparts, ages 30 to 64.
And that’s not all: Younger adults are the most likely demographic to believe AI will be bad for society and for them, in part by making connection and creativity harder, even though most say they continue to use chatbots and AI tools.