A new survey reveals that over half of the population anticipates widespread unemployment due to artificial intelligence (AI), with more than a fifth fearing jobs will disappear so rapidly it could trigger civil unrest.
This apprehension indicates a prevailing sentiment of "more fear than excitement" regarding AI advancements, noted a researcher monitoring public attitudes.
Professor Bobby Duffy, director of The Policy Institute at King’s College London (KCL), expressed "real concern" about AI’s effect on employment, especially at "entry levels, and, therefore, the prospects for our young people and the economy in general."
The study surveyed four distinct groups: 2,000 members of the general public, 1,000 young people aged 16-29, 1,000 university students, and 500 employers.
It found that nearly seven in 10 workers (69%) are worried about the economic impact of AI-driven job losses, a concern shared by 64% of employers.
More than half of the general public (57%) said they thought AI would lead to widespread unemployment.
Just over a fifth (22%) believe AI will take jobs fast enough to cause civil unrest, while among university students more than a third (34%) hold this fear.
Just under half (48%) of the public said they would rather avoid AI and four in 10 admitted they are afraid of it.
Around a quarter (24%) said they think it is positive for humanity, but more than a third (39%) disagreed with that statement.
More than four in 10 people said they will use it in future, while 26% said they will not.
Most workers said they were not worried about AI replacing their own job (55%), but the majority of all four groups surveyed predicted that the economic benefits from AI will mainly be felt by wealthy investors and large companies, rather than workers or society as a whole, researchers said.
Dr Bouke Klein Teeselink, lecturer in philosophy, politics, and economics at KCL, said: “This survey gives a really interesting window into how British students, workers, and employers feel about AI.
“Some of the main concerns held by the public, such as fewer job openings, a contraction in entry-level roles, and increased pressure on white-collar work, echo what I find in my own research on AI and the UK labour market.
“But none of these effects is fixed. With the right training, policies, and institutional support, there is a clear path forward to a more hopeful future, with rising productivity, broader opportunity, higher incomes, and faster scientific progress.”
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