Most people globally see AI causing job losses rather than creating jobs: Survey

People in most countries expect artificial intelligence to result in fewer jobs rather than create employment over the next 20 years, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

In 34 of the 37 countries surveyed, people were more likely to say AI would lead to job losses than job creation, the survey found.

The findings come amid growing debate among policymakers, businesses and experts over the economic impact of rapidly advancing AI technologies.

In several countries, around seven in 10 adults or more believe AI will result in job losses over the next two decades.

The share of Americans who believe AI will lead to fewer jobs has risen by 7 percentage points in two years.

However, uncertainty remains high, particularly in middle-income countries. In many countries, at least one-fifth of adults were unsure about how AI would affect jobs, with the proportion reaching around four in 10 or more in some middle-income nations.

The survey also found differences by gender, education and income.

In 11 mostly high-income countries, women were more likely than men to say AI would result in fewer jobs.

In France, for instance, women were 10 percentage points more likely than men to hold this view.

In many middle-income countries, people with higher household incomes and more education were also more likely to expect AI to reduce jobs.

Pew said much of this difference was linked to lower-income and less-educated people being more likely to say they were unsure about AI's impact.

People with greater awareness of AI were also more likely to expect job losses in around half of the countries surveyed.

AI and inequality

The survey found that people globally were also more likely to believe AI would widen the gap between the rich and poor rather than reduce it.

South Korea, Australia, the US, Greece and Canada were among the countries where around four in 10 or more adults said AI would increase economic inequality.

Few people believed AI would reduce inequality.

In none of the countries surveyed did more than one in four adults hold that view, while in 29 countries the share was in single digits.

In the US, 56% of adults under 35 said AI would increase the wealth gap, compared with 38% of those aged 50 and older.

Concern and excitement

Across the 37 countries, a median 37% of adults said they were more concerned than excited about AI, while a median 41% said they were equally concerned and excited.

Israel was the only country where more people were primarily excited than primarily concerned.

While South Koreans were among the most likely to expect AI-related job losses and increased inequality, they were less likely to describe themselves as primarily concerned about the technology.

Around 61% of South Koreans said they were equally concerned and excited about AI, while 21% were primarily excited.

Higher awareness of AI was associated with more optimistic views in many countries. In Germany, for example, 26% of people who had heard or read a lot about AI were primarily concerned, compared with 41% among those who had heard little or nothing about it.

In 15 countries, people aged 50 and older were more likely than those aged 18-34 to say they were primarily concerned about AI.

Concern rising in some countries

Pew said apprehension about AI has increased in several countries over the past year.

The share of adults saying they were more concerned than excited rose by 9 percentage points in Sweden, 8 points in Poland, 7 points in the Netherlands, 6 points in Hungary and 4 points in Australia.

In the US, views have remained relatively stable over the past year but concern has risen substantially since 2021.

Young Americans have shown a particularly sharp increase in concern. The share of 18-34-year-olds who said they were more concerned than excited rose from 40% in 2024 to 55% in 2026.

Pew said this marked a change from five years ago, when older Americans were somewhat more likely than younger adults to express concern about AI.

The survey covered 42,151 people across 36 countries between February 8 and May 13, 2026, including 2,000-plus respondents in India.