According to recent Pew Research Center surveys, the gap between how artificial intelligence experts and the general public view AI is widening significantly. While AI specialists maintain optimism about technological advancements, ordinary Americans are increasingly concerned about AI’s implications for their jobs, privacy, and society. The latest data reveals that 51% of the general public feels more concerned than excited about AI’s expanding role in daily life, while only 11% express more excitement than concern. In contrast, 47% of AI experts report being more excited than concerned. This disconnect highlights a crucial challenge as AI continues transforming various aspects of American life, with job security emerging as the primary source of anxiety among workers.
Growing Public Concern About AI
Public apprehension about artificial intelligence has increased dramatically over recent years. According to Pew Research Center data, the percentage of Americans who feel more concerned than excited about AI in daily life jumped to 52% in 2023, compared to just 37% in 2021—a 15 percentage point increase in just two years. This trend has continued into 2025, with 51% of Americans expressing more concern than excitement about AI’s increased presence.
This shift in sentiment coincides with growing public awareness of AI technologies. Most Americans (90%) report having heard at least a little about artificial intelligence, though only one-third say they’ve heard much about it. Interestingly, as people become more informed about AI, their concerns intensify rather than diminish. Those who have listened to much about AI are 16 percentage points more likely now than in December 2022 to express more significant problems than excitement about it.
The trend is notable because concern about AI now outweighs excitement across all major demographic groups, including various genders, races, ethnicities, partisan affiliations, and education levels. Even among younger Americans aged 18-29, who typically embrace new technologies more readily, 42% report being more concerned than excited about AI, with only 17% feeling more excited than concerned.
The Divide Between Public and Expert Opinion
One of the most striking findings from recent Pew surveys is the significant gap between how AI experts and the general public perceive artificial intelligence’s future impact. While 56% of AI experts believe AI will positively affect the United States over the next 20 years, only 17% of the general public shares this optimism. This disparity also extends to personal impact—76% of experts believe AI technologies will personally benefit them, compared to just 24% of the general public.
This optimism divide is particularly pronounced regarding AI’s impact on work. A substantial 73% of AI experts say that AI will positively impact how people do their jobs over the next two decades, while only 23% of U.S. adults hold this view. Moreover, 47% of experts say they are more excited than concerned about AI’s increased use in daily life, a sentiment shared by merely 11% of the general public.
The perspective contrast likely stems from experts’ more profound understanding of AI’s capabilities and limitations. AI specialists can better anticipate potential benefits in areas like automation of repetitive tasks and advancements in medicine. However, this knowledge gap creates a significant challenge for successful AI integration into society, as public skepticism could impede the adoption of beneficial AI applications.
Workplace Anxieties: Jobs and AI
Employment concerns dominate the public’s worries about artificial intelligence. According to recent Pew surveys, about half of American workers (52%) worry about AI’s future impact in the workplace. These concerns are not unfounded—32% of workers believe AI will lead to fewer job opportunities in the long run, while only 6% think it will create more jobs.
The gap between public and expert opinion is particularly evident regarding job displacement. While 64% of the general public expects AI to result in fewer jobs overall, only 39% of AI experts share this pessimistic outlook. However, both groups agree that certain professions face higher risks, with cashiers and journalists identified as particularly vulnerable occupations.
Income levels influence perceptions of AI’s workplace impact. Workers with lower and middle incomes are more likely than those with upper incomes to believe that workplace AI use will reduce their job opportunities. Upper-income workers, in contrast, are more likely to say that workplace AI adoption won’t significantly affect their job prospects.
These concerns exist despite the limited current integration of AI in most workplaces. Approximately 63% of workers report using AI minimally or not at all in their jobs. This suggests that anxiety about AI’s employment impact stems more from anticipated future disruption than current workplace experiences.
Beyond Job Loss: Other AI Concerns
While employment concerns dominate public discourse, Americans harbor other anxieties about artificial intelligence. Data privacy and security rank high among these additional worries, with 53% of survey respondents feeling their information is not being kept safe and private with AI systems7. This reflects a broader concern about losing control over personal data as AI systems collect and analyze increasingly vast amounts of information.
Misinformation and deception enabled by AI technologies also weigh heavily on public consciousness. Both experts and the general public express concerns about inaccurate information, deepfakes, and the potential for AI to be used for impersonation. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT make creating convincing fake content more effortless than ever, these concerns have only intensified.
The potential erosion of human connection represents another significant worry. Many Americans fear increased AI use could lead to less person-to-person interaction and diminish the human element in various contexts. This concern spans multiple domains, from customer service to healthcare, where the convenience of AI must be balanced against the value of human empathy and connection.
Inadequate government oversight emerges as a shared concern between experts and the public. Both groups are skeptical that regulations will adequately address AI risks and potential misuse. This regulatory uncertainty adds to the general unease about AI’s rapid deployment across various sectors before comprehensive safeguards are established.
Demographic Patterns in AI Attitudes
AI attitudes vary significantly across demographic groups, though concern generally outweighs excitement across all major segments of American society. Age emerges as a particularly influential factor, with 61% of older adults (65+) expressing more concern than excitement about AI, compared to 42% of those aged 18-29. This generational divide likely reflects different levels of comfort with technology and varying degrees of exposure to AI tools.
Education level significantly impacts familiarity with AI. Adults with college or postgraduate degrees demonstrate more excellent knowledge about AI than those with less formal education. This educational gap may contribute to different perceptions of risk and benefit across socioeconomic groups.
Gender differences also appear in AI awareness and attitudes. Men typically report greater familiarity with AI than women. This gender gap in AI literacy could potentially lead to disparities in who benefits from AI advancements and who participates in shaping AI governance.
The employment industry influences optimism about AI’s impact. Technology, finance, and real estate workers express more positive views about AI, seeing it as potentially creating new opportunities rather than eliminating existing ones. This suggests that exposure to successful AI implementations may mitigate concerns about its negative impacts.
Current AI Adoption in Workplaces
Despite widespread discussion about AI’s transformative potential, its workplace integration remains limited. According to Pew surveys, only about one-in-six workers (16%) report that at least some of their work is currently done with AI. An additional 25% say that while they’re not using AI much now, at least some of their work could be done with AI.
Usage patterns reveal significant disparities across age and education levels. Young workers and those with at least a bachelor’s degree are significantly more likely to use AI. These differences highlight potential inequalities in who benefits from AI productivity enhancements and who may face displacement pressures.
The gap between potential and actual AI use is particularly noteworthy. While 63% of workers say they don’t currently use AI much, 31% of these non-users acknowledge that portions of their jobs could be performed with AI tools. This discrepancy points to significant untapped potential for AI adoption, suggesting that concerns about job displacement may intensify as implementation accelerates.
Workers already using AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot Report primarily employ them for research and content editing tasks. These users generally report productivity benefits, including faster workflows and improved efficiency. However, the limited adoption suggests a clear need for more education and training to help workers across industries effectively integrate AI into their work processes.
Conclusion
The growing divide between expert and public perceptions of AI presents a significant challenge for policymakers, business leaders, and technology developers. At the same time, experts anticipate positive outcomes from increased AI adoption, and the American public harbors substantial concerns regarding job security, privacy, and misinformation. This perception gap could impede the beneficial implementation of AI technologies if public anxieties remain unaddressed.
For business leaders, the widespread employee concerns about AI present both a challenge and an opportunity. Organizations that proactively address AI-related fears through transparent communication, comprehensive training, and clear strategies for AI implementation may gain competitive advantages in talent attraction and retention. Conversely, ignoring worker anxieties or rushing implementation without adequate preparation risks creating internal resistance and disruption.
As AI continues to evolve and expand into more aspects of daily life, bridging the knowledge gap between experts and the public becomes increasingly crucial. Both groups are concerned about maintaining personal control over AI and ensuring adequate regulatory oversight. Finding common ground on these issues may help establish a framework for responsible AI development that addresses legitimate concerns while enabling beneficial innovation. The persistent gap between AI’s potential and its current implementation suggests that we are still in the early stages of this technological transformation. How successfully we navigate the challenges of public perception and institutional adaptation will significantly influence whether AI ultimately fulfills experts’ optimistic predictions or reinforces public anxieties.
References:
ONS – Public Awareness, Opinions, and Expectations about Artificial IntelligenceOffice of the Victorian Information Commissioner – AI and Privacy Issues
SCIRP – Artificial Intelligence Research Paper
UNESCO – AI Ethics Recommendations
Washington Post – AI and Fake News