It scares people.
That’s the headline. A new survey from King’s College London asked 4,500 students, young adults, and the general public what they thought of artificial intelligence. The answer isn’t excitement. It is dread.
Seven out of ten people are worried about money. Specifically, the kind that stops flowing because a job disappears. More than half believe mass unemployment is coming. One in five thinks it will lead to riots. Civil unrest, fueled by servers and algorithms.
“The public… are watching the rapid development of AI… with real concern,” said Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute.
He didn’t mention the fear part. But the data does.
The split between bosses and everyone else
Here is the weird part.
The people hiring are smiling. Four in ten people say AI does more harm than good. They’d rather not use it at all. But look at the employers.
Nearly 70 percent are thrilled.
Almost half think AI creates as many jobs as it destroys. That feels optimistic. Or naive. Maybe both. Employers say 56 percent of AI use is to help workers, not fire them. The public says 32 percent of it is replacing people. Who is right?
The bosses have the receipts.
22 percent admitted they’ve already stopped hiring or cut roles because of AI. Large companies do it more. 29 percent there. They see efficiency. The rest of the country sees who gets richer. Two-thirds of respondents think the money flows to wealthy investors. Only 7 percent of the public believes the benefits will be fair.
Why should anyone trust a system rigged for the top?
Who loses first? The young ones
If you are under 30, the news is bad.
Six in ten agree with Dario Amodei. The CEO of Anthropic predicted in 2025 that half of all entry-level white-collar gigs could vanish within five years. People believe him. Parents are terrified. Half of them think their children’s careers are at risk.
Do parents even talk to their kids about this?
Only one in three parents has had the conversation with a child under 30. It’s an awkward subject. Money. Future. Obsolescence.
Students are different though.
Almost half of students think AI is good for the UK. Just 28 percent of the general public agrees. There’s a gender gap here, too. 52 percent of young men like it. 38 percent of young women. Women worry more. And they have a reason. The UN says women in high-income countries are three times more likely to lose their jobs to automation.
That math hurts.
68 percent of students fear job losses. 60 percent expect a tougher job market by the time they graduate. The pressure changes minds. Three in ten would pick a different university course now than they planned, just to avoid the AI crush.
Still.
35 percent are excited. Not everyone is running. Some are leaning in. But most are just watching.
Waiting to see if the floor falls out.
