Workers who used AI without clear gains feared job loss most
A Boston Fed research team compared two national surveys. Each surveyed about 1,300 U.S. household heads, in December 2024 and December 2025. The share worried that AI would cost them their own job rose from 5 percent to just over 10 percent. Sixty percent expected AI-related layoffs or fewer workers in their industry. The most worried group used AI for some tasks but reported little or no productivity gain. The strongest gains came from 6 percent of respondents. They felt more secure and had a 14 percent chance of saying AI made them more likely to ask for a raise.
Verified 2:39 AM PDT · 1 original sources
The study measures worker perceptions, not observed layoffs, output or pay. It compares two survey waves taken before publication and cannot show that AI caused the changes. The authors also state that their views do not represent the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston or the Federal Reserve System.
New survey waves should be compared with hiring, layoff and wage records. The key split is whether task substitution produces measurable gains for workers. If the middle group grows while pay and hiring weaken, anxiety will have more economic evidence behind it.
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- Federal Reserve Bank of BostonWorkers' Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence: Productivity Gains and Job-loss Fears ↗
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