More and more people believe that AI will take away jobs rather than create new ones

A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that a majority of people worldwide now expect artificial intelligence to lead to fewer jobs rather than more. The survey is based on responses from 37 countries. In 34 of these countries, it is more common to believe that AI will result in fewer jobs over the next 20 years. Concerns are greater in wealthier countries.

In Sweden, for example, there are signs of growing skepticism toward the technology. The proportion of Swedes who are more concerned than enthusiastic about the increased use of AI has risen by nine percentage points in one year. This is the largest increase among the countries compared over time. Concerns have also increased among both younger and older Swedes.

In the US, 71% of respondents said they think AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next 20, compared to 5% who say it will lead to more jobs. Most pessimistic were the Australians, with 76% predicting fewer jobs because of AI. The most optimistic groups were in Nigeria and the Philippines, where just 26% of respondents predicted AI-induced job losses outweighing gains.

Globally, many also fear that AI will widen economic disparities. In none of the 37 countries do more than a quarter of respondents believe that AI will reduce inequality.

However, views on the technology are not entirely negative. The median for the 37 countries shows that 41% say they feel roughly equal amounts of concern and enthusiasm about the technology. People who have heard and read a lot about the technology also tend to have a more positive view of it.

This article was originally published on Computer Sweden.

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