Exclusive: Americans expect a jobless AI boom
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Americans are optimistic AI will grow the economy — but not that it will create jobs in the process, per the first release of the new Axios-CivicScience AI Sentiment Index out Friday.
Why it matters: The AI boom is often criticized as a jobless one, which may explain why sentiment continues to run so negative on what is otherwise such a transformative technology.
The big picture: The new monthly Axios-CivicScience index tracks Americans' views across six measures: AI's effects on quality of life, society, jobs and economic growth, plus support for AI development and new data centers.
How it works: The data was collected in online polling from Oct. 1-Oct. 26, with more than 7,300 respondents ages 18+.
By the numbers: October's net sentiment was 41.8 on a 0-100 scale, indicating broad negativity on AI.
- Of the six components, only economic growth had a positive sentiment score.
Yes, but: While economic growth net sentiment (positive responses minus negative responses) was +10, "create more jobs" sentiment was -30.4, indicating a massive gap between what people think AI will do collectively and the impact it'll have individually.
- The grim outlook matches other recent polls, like an Axios-Generation Lab survey of young adults in August; more than a quarter said they'd lost a job to AI or knew someone who had.
What's next: The index will be released the first Friday of every month starting in December.
