Survey Reveals Younger Workers’ Greater Fear of AI Impact on Jobs

POLICY WIRE — City, Country — Younger employees exhibit more skepticism and negativity towards artificial intelligence’s influence on their careers compared to older workers, a recent survey indicates.

According to an analysis by Glassdoor on workers’ perceptions of AI, Generation Z Americans are the most critical, with only a third of young employees expressing a positive outlook on AI’s workplace impact. In contrast, 47% of Generation X workers, born between 1965 and 1980, hold a favorable view of AI.

Martin suggests that younger workers’ negative perceptions of AI arise from concerns about its potential to harm their job and career opportunities. There is increasing evidence that AI is displacing entry-level jobs more susceptible to automation, he stated. The upcoming years will be more challenging for them as AI transforms work practices, and they might not have access to the same job opportunities that were available 20 years ago.

Many workers voiced worries about being replaced by AI, while others expressed frustration over being compelled to incorporate AI tools into their workflows, as reported by Glassdoor, an online career research platform. Some employees also criticized their companies for overemphasizing AI at the expense of core business operations. A smaller segment of workers was critical of employers using AI for staff communication or even for surveillance purposes.

Older workers, who typically occupy higher positions within their organizations and are more established in their roles, tend to perceive large language models as complementary to their work, Martin explained. They recognize more advantages from AI, he noted, pointing out that AI can make errors or fabricate information, necessitating oversight from more seasoned employees.

An experienced worker can readily identify and disregard these mistakes, whereas a younger or less-experienced worker may struggle to distinguish legitimate facts from AI-generated inaccuracies, Martin added.

Gender also played a role in workers’ attitudes towards AI, according to Glassdoor. , female employees held a more negative view: Only 21% of Generation Z women expressed positivity towards the technology, compared to 42% of Generation Z men.

Separate research from LinkedIn indicates that the AI-driven job surge is exacerbating the gender gap that female employees already encounter in the tech industry, with women underrepresented among new hires for AI positions.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)