With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, major tech companies frequently claim that their tools will revolutionize the world, improve work efficiency, and reduce tedious labor. However, a recent survey shows that more than 70% of Americans are concerned about this technology, believing that artificial intelligence could lead to a large number of permanent job losses. Since ChatGPT became popular in 2023, discussions about generative AI have become increasingly heated. Experts have warned that this revolution could bring about an unprecedented wave of unemployment since the Industrial Revolution.
Image source note: The image is generated by AI, and the image licensing service provider is Midjourney
Although 71% of respondents expressed concern about potential job losses caused by artificial intelligence, the unemployment rate in the United States remains low at 4.2% so far. However, as more and more companies shift resources toward artificial intelligence, news of layoffs has been frequent. For example, Microsoft has laid off about 15,000 employees this year, and other companies such as Amazon and IBM have also cut hundreds to thousands of jobs due to the impact of artificial intelligence. This trend seems to continue.
In addition to employment issues, the survey also shows that 77% of respondents are concerned that artificial intelligence might be used to create political chaos. With the development of deepfake technology, the spread of false information has become increasingly rampant, with many people posting images and videos of false events, confusing the public's perception. At the same time, nearly half of the respondents oppose the military using artificial intelligence to select targets for strikes, believing that humans should always play an important role in decisions involving lethal weapons.
Furthermore, 61% of the survey participants are also worried that generative AI will cause significant power consumption. It is expected that data centers will account for 6.7% to 12% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2028, with half of the power consumption related to artificial intelligence. At the same time, two-thirds of the respondents are concerned that people may end romantic relationships due to their reliance on artificial intelligence. Nowadays, some people even "marry" chatbots, which has drawn widespread social attention.
This survey was conducted jointly by Reuters and Ipsos, collecting opinions from 4,446 adults online, with a margin of error of approximately 2 percentage points. Facing the rapid development of artificial intelligence, public concerns cannot be ignored. How to balance technological advancement with social impact will be an urgent issue to address in the future.
Key Points:
📉 More than 70% of Americans worry that artificial intelligence could cause a large number of job losses.
🪖 Nearly half of the respondents oppose the military using artificial intelligence for military decision-making.
⚡ 61% of people are worried that generative AI will cause significant power consumption.
