4 minBusiness
AI survey on job losses shows surprising wins for some workers
A new survey of 1,250 U.S. workers finds that artificial intelligence has not yet caused widespread job losses or gains, though a small percentage report promotions tied to AI skills.
Four years after the debut of ChatGPT, artificial intelligence has not yet produced the sweeping job losses or gains that many predicted, according to a new survey of 1,250 U.S. workers. The findings, based on a YouGov poll commissioned by sociologist Jeffrey C. Dixon of the College of the Holy Cross, show that only about 3% of workers said they lost a job due to AI since 2023, while roughly 6% said they landed a job that did not exist before the technology emerged.
The survey, conducted between July 30 and August 4, 2026, asked workers about their current use of AI, how they believe it has affected their job opportunities so far, and how they expect it to shape their future careers. Approximately 9% of respondents said they received a promotion or advancement they believe was related to AI, such as through their AI skills. The results have not yet been peer-reviewed and are part of an ongoing study.
Dixon, who researches AI and describes himself as an AI pessimist, said the low rate of reported job losses was surprising. About 95% of surveyed workers said they had not lost a job due to AI since 2023, 90% said they had not landed a new AI-created job, and 88% said they had not received an AI-related promotion. Between 3% and 4% of respondents were not sure whether they had experienced any of these changes.
The findings align with other research in the U.S. and abroad suggesting that AI is not yet having widespread effects on the labor market. Dixon noted that job changes of any kind are relatively rare in the U.S., so the small percentages reporting AI-related changes must be viewed in that broader context. The most significant impact so far, he said, appears to be the opportunity for some workers to advance their careers through AI skills, though it remains unclear whether that advantage will last.
Dixon pointed to the emergence of agentic AI, a newer form of the technology that can act autonomously and automate jobs to a greater extent, as a potential factor that could make current AI expertise less valuable in the future. He also noted that the survey began in July 2026, when the official unemployment rate was 4.1%, but the workforce was shrinking and AI was reportedly a leading reason for many layoffs.
The survey has limitations, Dixon acknowledged. Participants chose to join YouGov’s online panel, so their responses may differ from those of randomly selected workers, and none of the respondents were jobless at the time of the survey. Still, he said the study moves beyond predictions made by economists and analyses produced by AI companies by asking workers directly about their experiences.
Dixon said he is currently working to answer additional questions from the survey data, including who is getting promoted, how workers are using AI on the job, and how they think the technology will affect their opportunities in the future. The study was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
