The Terminator movie franchise is back, and the idea that robots and artificial intelligence are coming for us specifically, our jobs is a big part of the present. But the majority of the working population remains unafraid of a T-800 stealing their employment.<\/p>\n
Only a little over one-quarter (27%) of all workers say they are worried that the job they have now will be eliminated within the next five years as a result of new technology, robots or artificial intelligence, according to the quarterly CNBC\/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness survey.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the survey results show it may be only a matter of time: Fears about automation and jobs run higher among the youngest workers.<\/p>\n
The survey found that 37% of workers between the ages of 18 and 24 are worried about new technology eliminating their jobs. That's nearly 10% higher than any other demographic.<\/p>\n
Dan Schawbel, research director of Future Workplace and author of \"Back to Human,\" said one reason for the age-based fear gap is because technology, like AI, is becoming normalized.<\/p>\n
\"They are starting to see the value of [AI] and how it's impacting their personal and professional lives,\" Schawbel said. \"We're using AI without even thinking about it. It's a part of our lives. If you are talking to Siri or Alexa, that's AI.\"<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Laura Wronski, senior research scientist at SurveyMonkey, said, \"As digital natives, [18- to 24-year-old workers] understand the potential of technology to have a positive impact. But with 30 or 40 years left in the workforce, they likely envision vast potential changes in the nature of work over the course of their lifetime.\"<\/p>\n
The survey also revealed a link between income and fear, with 34% of workers making $50,000 or under afraid of losing their jobs due to technology; that goes down to 16% among workers making between $100,000 and $150,000, and 13% for workers making $150,000 or more.<\/p>\n
In some industries where technology already has played a highly disruptive role, worker fears of automation also run higher than the average: Workers in automotives, business support and logistics, advertising and marketing, and retail are proportionately more worried about new technology replacing their jobs than those in other industries.<\/p>\n
Forty-two percent of workers in the business support and logistics industry have above-average concerns about new technology eliminating their jobs. Schawbel said that fear stems from the fact that the industry is already seeing it happen. Self-driving trucks already are threatening the jobs of truck drivers, and it is causing massive panic in the profession, he said.<\/p>\n
\"There is a fear, with some research to back it up, that it's going to be hard to retrain and retool truck drivers to take on other jobs,\" Schawbel said. \"You know with a truck driver you can just eliminate the truck driver, whereas with professionals doing finance or accounting, certain tasks that they do can be automated, but they have a little more flexibility to do other tasks that could be more valuable.\"<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Elmer Guardado, a 22-year-old account coordinator at Buie & Co. Public Relations, fits two demographics that are more likely to worry about new technology replacing them: he is young, and he is in the advertising and marketing industry. But he remains convinced that human skills will set him apart from the automated competition.<\/p>\n
\"It's not something I'm actively worried about,\" Guardado said. \"Because I know there are so many parts of my job that require a level of nuance that technology won't be able to replace anytime soon.\"<\/p>\n
Guardado says that his communication skills are a valuable asset that he brings to the workplace that a computer can't compete with quite yet. But he also understands why his peers may be more afraid than other age groups.<\/p>\n
\"I think older generations maybe process this potential fear in a more abstract way,\" Guardado said. \"Whereas 18- 24-year-olds see it firsthand, right? We actively dealt with it growing up and saw technology consistently skyrocket throughout our entire lifetime.\"<\/p>\n
The survey found a fairly optimistic view on the future of AI, with nearly half of workers (48%) saying the quest to advance the field of artificial intelligence is \"important.\" Only 23% called it \"dangerous.\"<\/p>\n
They remain more worried about their own kind: 60% of workers said that human intelligence is a greater threat to humanity than artificial intelligence. Sixty-five percent of survey respondents said computer programs will always reflect the biases of the people who designed them.<\/p>\n
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These American workers are the most afraid of A.I. taking their jobs - CNBC<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Terminator movie franchise is back, and the idea that robots and artificial intelligence are coming for us specifically, our jobs is a big part of the present. But the majority of the working population remains unafraid of a T-800 stealing their employment Continue reading