1 in 5 Brits think AI layoffs could trigger civil unrest

A UK survey found widespread concern that AI-driven job losses could happen quickly enough to cause civil unrest. Most workers worry about economic harm from automation, and many believe AI will destroy more jobs than it creates. A large share of respondents agree that AI could eliminate a major portion of entry-level white-collar roles within five years. Students show especially high anxiety about unrest and a tougher graduate job market. Many students using AI in their studies report problems such as factual errors and fabricated sources. Employers also report real disruption, with some already making roles redundant or reducing hiring due to AI.

"The survey found 69 percent of workers are worried about the economic impact of AI-driven job losses, while 57 percent think the technology will destroy more jobs than it creates. More than half also agreed with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's prediction that AI could wipe out half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years."

"University students appeared especially gloomy. Around a third said rapid AI-driven job losses could lead to civil unrest, while 60 percent believe the technology will make the graduate job market significantly tougher by the time they finish university. The study also found that almost nine in ten students who use AI in their studies have already encountered problems with it, including factual errors and completely fabricated sources."

"Unlike much of the AI industry's favorite future-of-work PowerPoint optimism, many employers admitted AI-fueled disruption is already happening. The study found 22 percent of employers have already made roles redundant or reduced hiring because of AI, rising to 29 percent among large organizations."

"Brits increasingly suspect the AI jobs revolution may end with fewer graduate roles, richer shareholders, and possibly riots. New research from King's College London found that more than one in five people in the UK believe AI could eliminate jobs quickly enough to trigger civil unrest, as anxiety over automation, hiring freezes, and white-collar displacement continues to bleed out of Silicon Valley boardrooms and into public opinion."

Read at theregister