Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Around the US
[ad_1]
The use of artificial intelligence in everything from copywriting to (almost) defending someone in court has been a hot topic since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. Naturally, that begs the question, what else will people use AI for in the business world in the coming years?
We surveyed American workers from various industries to find out what concerns they have about AI taking over their jobs, how much they use it themselves, and whether it could signal a career change for them moving forward. Read on to find out what they say.
US States Are Most Concerned About Taking Artificial Intelligence Jobs
The map above provides important insights into states that are most concerned about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on job displacement. The anxiety ratings below are on a scale of 1 to 10, with higher values indicating greater anxiety among different regions.
Countries Most Concerned About AI
Washington – 7.0/10:
- A significant 94% of respondents from Washington expressed concern about the economic impacts related to AI.
Mississippi – 6.5/10:
- Likewise, 64% of people in the state of Mississippi believe there should be stronger government regulations regarding artificial intelligence.
Maine – 6.3/10:
- While 70% of respondents from Maine shared concerns about the economic impact of AI, only 35% believe that AI will eventually evolve into a human being.
Countries Less Worried About AI
New Mexico – 4.8/10:
- Residents of New Mexico are the most concerned about the end, while only 29% of respondents from the Land of Enchantment expressed concern about AI becoming empathetic.
Kansas – 4.9/10:
- Although Kansas ranks low in terms of overall concern, 70% of respondents still hold concerns about the economic impact of AI.
North Carolina – 5.1/10:
- Similarly, 60% of North Carolinians believe that progress in the field of AI should stop until government regulations are stricter.
Practical Use of Intelligence at Work
As the saying goes, “The moon doesn’t reveal all her tricks,” as we found that 26% of respondents who use AI tools in their work choose to withhold this information from colleagues or managers.
Similarly, we found that two-thirds of Americans (66%) experience some level of concern at work about the potential of AI completely replace their roles, while a staggering 40% of Americans believe AI can definitely do their work for them.
This figure rises to 52% when considering the next five years, suggesting a growing perception that AI is encroaching on human activities at a rapid pace.
Notably, sentiment varies across industries, as 45% of people working in the Finance sector believe AI can fulfill their job responsibilities, compared to 29% among those in STEM fields.
When asked whether Americans see AI as more of a tool or a threat, more than one in five (22%) say they view AI as a threat. Notably, 25% of those working in finance agreed with this view, compared to 16% of those in STEM fields.
What Americans Think About Artificial Intelligence
A staggering 65% of Americans are surprised by the rate at which AI is advancing. With tools like ChatGPT and Bard taking the working world by storm, it can seem like AI is changing at lightning speed and catching many off guard in the process.
When asked about the professions they believe will be most affected by AI within the next decade, Americans identified customer service (59%), grocery store clerks (52%), computer programmers (51%), and financial analysts (50%). as the most vulnerable.
A whopping 42% of Americans express concern about AI eventually reaching the status quo, echoing the fears of many sci-fi writers. The uneasiness surrounding the possibility of AI systems gaining consciousness or autonomous decision-making abilities raises ethical questions that some Americans think we may have to answer sooner rather than later.
Finally, 53% of Americans believe that developers should halt the progress of AI until the government establishes strict rules and regulations. Notably, experts in the field of Business Administration strongly agree with this view, with 60% supporting this view.
In contrast, those in the IT field show lower agreement, with 45% supporting the idea of waiting for stricter regulations to slow progress in the world of artificial intelligence.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, we found that many Americans have real concerns and mixed feelings about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on job security.
The rapid development of AI has surprised some, leading to questions about its effects on various professions. However, amid these concerns, individuals and businesses must adapt and find new ways to stay relevant in an ever-changing and evolving job market.
This is where tools like Ayrshare come into play. With its powerful APIs, Ayrshare provides developers and businesses of all sizes with tools to easily send social media posts, allowing for effective communication of brand messages and seamless communication with audiences. Another easy way for social media managers to adapt to the changing landscape is to create social media posts with the ChatGPT API.
As the world of work evolves, adopting AI and using similar tools is becoming essential for businesses to optimize their operations, streamline processes, and focus on high-value tasks that require human intelligence and problem-solving skills.
Finding the right balance between technology and human power will enable businesses to confidently navigate the future and harness the power of AI to improve productivity and maintain a competitive edge in the digital world.
How to do it
To find out more about how Americans view artificial intelligence (AI), we surveyed more than 2,000 people from 43 US states and asked them to rate their concerns about various potential impacts of AI and other yes/no questions of how anxious it makes them.
We also surveyed an additional 1,000 Americans across five industries to find out which ones they think AI can do for them and get more insight into how Americans feel about the latest advances in AI. The survey took place over two weeks in May 2023. The industries included in the survey are: Finance, Marketing/Sales, Information Technology (IT), Business Administration/Management, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
