Americans Worry AI Will Cut Jobs — Just Not Theirs Yet: Quinnipiac

Is AI helping or hurting society? A new national poll from Quinnipiac University reveals that Americans remain divided on the technology’s impact. Views on AI vary widely across generations, income levels, and education, underscoring the complexity of public perception. Still, there’s one area where consensus emerges: concern over AI’s influence on the youngest generation and a shared belief that both businesses and the government aren’t doing enough to manage its risks.

This tension extends to the workplace. While a majority of Americans believe AI will reduce overall job opportunities, most aren’t worried about losing their own jobs—78 percent say they’re not concerned about giving up their jobs to AI. This aligns with a common refrain from tech companies: AI is automating routine, administrative tasks, allowing humans to focus on more creative and meaningful work.

More AI Education Is Needed

Before diving deeper into how Americans feel about AI, it’s important to first understand how much they actually know about the technology. In a survey of 1,562 U.S. adults, Quinnipiac found that 47 percent of respondents indicated they know a good or great deal about AI. However, 51 percent said they didn’t know enough about it. The knowledge gap grows even wider across age groups, with older generations reporting significantly less familiarity.

Across generations, most Americans say they know either a “good amount” or “just some” about AI—few reported knowing “a great deal.” No generation led with “a great deal.” Gen Z and Millennials led in overall familiarity, with 67 percent and 57 percent, respectively, saying they knew a good or great amount. But the majority landed in the “good amount” range for both groups. Meanwhile, Gen X (56 percent), Baby Boomers (67 percent), and the Silent Generation (88 percent) led with overall ignorance. Of this group, the Silent Generation stood out with the highest share—38 percent—remarking they knew “hardly anything” about the technology.

This generational breakdown underscores the ongoing need for broader AI education in the U.S. The Quinnipiac poll, conducted April 3–7, 2025, comes more than two years after generative AI burst into the mainstream. As innovation in the market continues to accelerate, this data reveals an enormous opportunity for tech providers, or else their efforts will have been for naught.

AI: Yaysayer or Naysayer?

Remember when I asked if AI is helping or hurting society? Forty-four percent of Americans believe it will do more harm than good, with 38 percent thinking the opposite. Eighteen percent had no opinion on the matter.

When you break it out by household income, Americans earning more than $200,000 a year are AI proponents, contending that AI will do more good in their daily lives. But on the other hand, those with incomes of less than $50,000 a year believe AI will do more harm than good.

Quinnipiac also asked Americans how they see AI shaping education and medical advances. More than half believe the technology will negatively impact education, while a majority point out it will do more good than harm in medicine. The findings reflect an ongoing debate in schools, where some institutions have banned AI over concerns about cheating and that it could affect students’ critical thinking. At the same time, the results echo growing optimism about AI’s potential to accelerate drug discovery and improve medical treatments.

AI’s Workforce Effect

As AI begins to proliferate throughout the enterprise, are workers afraid that using AI agents and technologies will lead to a workforce reduction? “Many Americans believe AI will lead to fewer jobs nationwide,” Dr. Tamilla Triantoro, an associate professor of business analytics and information at Quinnipiac University’s business school, wrote. “Most feel secure in their own positions. This highlights the Workforce Paradox—collective concern about automation exists, but so does individual confidence in job security.”

For decades, automation has disrupted the workforce—most notably in manufacturing. Today, it’s AI reshaping both blue- and white-collar jobs across industries. But while most Americans aren’t concerned about their jobs going away, it’s a fear that those in many professions fear, thanks to the growing popularity of generative AI applications. In fact, CEOs like Shopify’s Tobi Lütke haven’t been shy about pushing workers to use AI at the expense of adding new headcount.

Even though they acknowledge AI will affect job opportunities, Americans aren’t wholly embracing steps to better prepare for this new era. Thirty-nine percent report starting AI training to be more productive at work. And there isn’t a shortage of these programs, including those on LinkedIn Learning, Salesforce’s Trailhead, Coursera, Jasper AI, IBM, and Microsoft. However, 61 percent say they’re not taking steps to bolster their professional skills to adapt to this AI era.

And who’s preparing for an AI world can depend on their education level. Quinnipiac’s polling shows that 55 percent of employed Americans with a four-year college degree are actively learning new skills in order to better use AI at work. As for those employed Americans without a four-year college degree, only 27 percent are doing the same.

“The findings reveal a growing divide,” Dr. Triantoro claims. “Workers who are learning AI skills and using AI tools are more likely to have college degrees, white-collar jobs, and higher household incomes, indicating that AI adoption is not happening evenly across the workforce.”

Can You Trust AI?

Americans remain skeptical of AI-generated information. Only 4 percent of adults indicate that they trust AI outputs almost all the time, while 18 percent say they trust them most of the time. The majority—51 percent—take a more cautious stance, telling Quinnipiac they trust AI only some of the time. That middle-ground sentiment cuts across generations and income levels, making “some of the time” the dominant response regardless of age or earnings.

Although people are using AI to help with their daily tasks or jobs, there’s a healthy amount of doubt that the technology is producing accurate and trustworthy information. Dr. Brian O’Neill, an associate professor of computer science at Quinnipiac University’s School of Computing and Engineering, thinks that’s a good thing.

“It’s reassuring that a vast majority of Americans trust information generated by AI only some of the time or hardly ever, since it indicates that they have a healthy amount of skepticism when they use AI as a tool for research.”

There also appears to be distrust of the people and companies making AI. Thirty-seven percent of Americans claim that AI developers do not represent their interests, while 5 percent say otherwise. However, 54 percent chose not to pick a side.

“One thing is clear: Americans are uncertain about the motivations behind the development of Generative AI,” O’Neill stated. “The tech industry needs to do more to demonstrate how they are ensuring that AI will be used for good, as well as what they are doing to avert the possible negative consequences of AI and mitigate its potential to perpetuate and exacerbate existing biases.”

Our AI Comfort Level

Most Americans hate having AI used in their daily lives. They don’t like companies using the technology to scan their most sensitive data, such as health, financial, and job information. Despite companies arguing that AI will speed up the review process and lessen employee workloads, American adults largely oppose its use.

Quinnipac’s survey showed 71 percent didn’t want AI to be used to scan their health insurance claims, 67 percent hated having banks screen loan applications with an algorithm, and 64 percent pushed back on companies using the tech to review job applications. That being said, there is one area where Americans favored the use of AI: Law enforcement. More than half responded that they were okay (53 percent) with police using AI such as facial recognition for suspect identification.

“Americans are wary of AI’s impact on daily life. In classrooms, the concern only deepens. But the mood shifts when AI enters the hospital or the crime lab—most see promise in medical innovation and even support its role in identifying suspects. Yet beneath the surface, an economic divide emerges: lower-income Americans tend to view AI as a threat, while those with higher incomes see it as a benefit,” Dr. Chetan Jaiswal, an associate professor of computer science at Quinnipiac University’s School of Computing and Engineering, explained. “The public isn’t rejecting AI outright—they’re drawing lines based on trust, lived experience, and who stands to gain or lose.”

Americans Call For More Regulation

The Quinnipiac poll reveals a significant gap in perceptions of and education about AI. To make things more equitable, Americans are clamoring for greater transparency and control. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) believe businesses must do more to be upfront with the public about how they are using AI. Although not explicitly stated, this could extend to not only the AI customers but also the makers, from the model makers to the app builders.

Americans also want lawmakers to take more action to regulate the use of AI (65 percent). There have been some efforts made in the past couple of years at the state level, and hearings have been held in Washington, D.C. on the matter. However, no federal policy or regulation has been passed or signed into law.

“Americans are calling out a major trust gap when it comes to AI,” Jaiswal remarked. “There’s growing frustration with companies that keep their AI practices behind closed doors, and widespread doubt that government is stepping up to regulate the technology. The message from the public is unmistakable: the transparency isn’t there. Without it, confidence in both business and government erodes fast in an AI-driven world.”

▶️ Read the full Quinnipiac University poll results

Featured Image: AI-generated image displaying a lineup of people from Gen Z to Boomers, each holding or interacting with tech in different ways. Image credit: Adobe Firefly