Workers in America are worried about the potential impacts that artificial intelligence (AI) could have on the workplace and jobs, according to Work in America: Artificial Intelligence, Monitoring Technology and Psychological Well-Being, a study from the American Psychological Association (APA).
For many years, we’ve been tracking APA’s Stress in America studies gauging Americans’ mental health before the pandemic and during the pandemic. To social and political stress, we must now add in another stressor to peoples’ daily lives: concerns about AI and the potential for it to make one’s job obsolete, with the subsequent financial and psychological impacts.
Compared with people not worried about AI, U.S. workers worried about AI at work are at greater risk of feeling tense or stressed during the workday (64% vs. 38%), wanting to keep to themselves at work (32% vs. 20%), and don’t feel motivated to do their very best at work (33% vs. 21%).
Three in four people worried about AI are concerned new forms of technology will take over some or all of their work duties in the next ten years, versus just 1 in 4 workers so concerned.
And nearly twice as many workers worried about AI believe they do not matter to their employer or co-workers (41% vs. 23% and 37% vs. 17%, respectively).
The research was conducted in April 2023 online by The Harris Poll among 2,515 employed people 18 years of age and older.
Health Populi’s Hot Points: When it came to trust, people turned to their employers during the pandemic era for the most-trustworthy touchpoint in their lives — well above government, media, NGOs, and other institutions.
Here are the 2023 Top 10 findings from the Edelman Trust Barometer’s look into Trust at Work, which complement the APA research on AI in the workplace.
In the 2023 Trust Barometer, Edelman found workers believing that, “my employer outperforms all other institutions on competence and ethics.” However, workers are also reconsidering the workplace as of September 2023: with companies needing to re-think what work means to employees.
Perceiving uncertain economic environments and taking on more credit card and other debt in the post-pandemic economy, more consumers are seeking greater work-life balance and well-being across various aspects of life. Adding AI worries into the mix for many workers will threaten the top position employers have enjoyed since Edelman ranked them most-trusted in 2019. From HR departments to the C-suite, private sector companies should take heed to and address this emerging added stressor in the workplace and on the worker.