Artificial intelligence is already changing how Americans work, but the impact goes far beyond employees simply learning how to use ChatGPT or another new tool.
For many workers, AI is changing expectations around productivity, hiring, job security, and even what it takes to build a long-term career.
New research from TollFreeForwarding.com surveyed 2,001 U.S. adults working in primarily desk-based, office, corporate, administrative, professional, or knowledge-based roles to understand how employees are experiencing the shift.
The results reveal a workforce that can see the benefits of AI but is far from convinced those benefits will translate into greater security or an easier working life. Nearly two in five workers worry AI could replace their current job within five years, while more than one-third do not trust their employer to tell them how AI will affect their role.
Key Findings
- 39.2% of workers worry AI could replace their current job within the next five years.
- 37.7% do not trust their employer to tell them how AI will affect their job.
- 33.3% do not believe their employer is being honest about its AI plans.
- 24.3% have already seen employee performance expectations increase because of AI.
- 17.0% say hiring has slowed or been reduced because of AI, while 13.2% have seen jobs eliminated.
- 28.7% worry entry-level jobs in their field could disappear, making it harder for younger workers to gain experience.
- 27.9% worry workers with AI skills or experience will have an advantage over them.
- 27.6% fear their existing skills could become less valuable as AI improves.
- 24.6% worry their education or years of professional experience could lose value.
- 23.9% believe their industry may need significantly fewer workers in the future.
Nearly 2 in 5 U.S. Workers Fear AI Could Replace Their Job
For all the discussion around AI assisting workers rather than replacing them, job security remains a very real concern. Overall, 39.2% of the U.S. workers surveyed said they are worried AI could replace their current job within the next five years, including 11.1% who are very worried.
That anxiety is particularly pronounced among younger employees and people earlier in their careers:
- 45.6% of Gen Z workers worry AI could replace their job.
- 41.7% of Gen X and 39.3% of Millennials say the same.
- Among Baby Boomers, the figure falls to 29.6%.
- 47.7% of entry-level or junior employees are worried about AI replacing their job.
- 48.7% of senior individual contributors and specialists share the concern.
The findings suggest AI anxiety is not limited to employees just entering the workforce. Experienced specialists, many of whom have spent years developing expertise in a particular area, are among the groups most concerned about what AI could mean for their current role.
More Than a Third of Workers Do Not Trust Employers When It Comes To AI
AI is creating a workplace trust issue alongside a technological one—more than a third of respondents expressed concerns about how openly their employers are communicating their AI plans:
- 37.7% do not trust their employer to tell them how AI will affect their job.
- 33.3% do not believe their employer is being honest about its AI plans.
The trust gap is particularly noticeable among workers with less organizational power. 43.2% of entry-level employees and 44.4% of senior individual contributors or specialists say they do not trust their employer to tell them how AI will affect their jobs, compared with 28.7% of C-suite executives.
There are also significant differences across professional sectors. Among groups with at least 100 respondents:
- 47.6% of banking and financial services workers do not trust their employer to tell them how AI will affect their job.
- 44.4% of technology workers say the same.
- 40.7% of accounting and finance workers express that distrust.
- 37.9% of customer service workers do not trust their employer to communicate openly about AI’s impact.
This could become increasingly important as AI moves from an optional productivity tool to something capable of influencing headcount, hiring, responsibilities, and performance expectations.
AI is Saving Time for Some Workers—But Creating More Work for Others
One of the biggest promises surrounding workplace AI is productivity: automate repetitive tasks, work faster, and free employees to focus on higher-value work; however, the reality appears more complicated.
Among employees whose workplaces use AI:
- 45.3% say it has reduced their workload, while 35.6% say it has made no meaningful difference.
- However, 14.6% say AI has actually increased their workload.
And workload is only part of the picture:
- Nearly one-quarter of all respondents (24.3%) say employee performance expectations at their workplace have increased because of AI.
- Another 12.7% say certain tasks have actually become more complicated or time-consuming.
This effect is particularly apparent in some of the professions closest to the technology:
- 24.6% of IT and cybersecurity workers who use AI say it has increased their workload.
- 21.5% of technology workers report an increased workload.
- 18.7% of banking and financial services workers say AI has added to their workload.
- 37.7% of IT and cybersecurity workers say performance expectations have increased because of AI.
- Among technology workers, that rises slightly to 38.9%.
There is also an interesting paradox among the heaviest AI users. Workers who use AI multiple times a day are much more likely to see its benefits:
- 53.2% say AI has made certain tasks easier or less time-consuming
- 63.5% say it has reduced their overall workload.
But they are also more likely to feel the pressure that comes with it:
- 37.4% of workers who use AI multiple times a day say performance expectations have increased, while 19.4% say their overall workload has increased.
AI may therefore be making individual tasks faster without necessarily creating a less demanding workplace. As employees become capable of producing more, some employers may simply raise the amount of work expected in return.
Gen Z is Most Worried About Replacement, While Millennials Fear Falling Behind
Workers across every generation have concerns about AI, but those concerns take different forms. Gen Z currently shows the highest anxiety about direct job replacement, with 45.6% worried AI could replace their job within five years.
They are also the generation most likely to believe AI could eventually perform much of the work associated with their career:
- 29.4% of Gen Z
- 26.5% of Millennials
- 20.0% of Gen X
- 13.3% of Baby Boomers
Millennials, meanwhile, appear particularly concerned about remaining competitive as AI skills become more important. 30.9% worry that workers with AI-related skills or experience will have an advantage over them, compared with 27.8% of Gen X, 22.5% of Gen Z, and 21.5% of Baby Boomers.
Similarly, 29.0% of Millennials worry their current skills could become less valuable as AI improves.
Older employees generally express lower levels of concern. 30.0% of Baby Boomers say they have no concerns about competing in an AI-driven job market, compared with 18.9% of Gen X, 17.5% of Gen Z, and 16.6% of Millennials.
Rather than creating one universal form of “AI anxiety,” the technology appears to be raising different questions depending on where workers are in their careers: whether they will be able to get started, remain competitive, or see the value of years of accumulated experience change.
Banking, Finance, and Technology Workers Are Among the Most Anxious About AI
Some of the employees working closest to data, digital systems, and automation are also among the most concerned about being replaced. Among the larger professional groups surveyed:
- 48.4% of banking and financial services workers worry AI could replace their job within five years.
- 46.3% of accounting and finance workers are worried.
- 45.4% of technology workers share the concern.
- 43.0% of HR and recruiting workers are worried.
- 42.0% of IT and cybersecurity workers fear AI could replace their current role.
By comparison, 26.2% of workers in executive or general management say they are worried about replacement.
Workers in technology-related roles are also particularly conscious of what could happen to their industries longer term:
- 35.2% of technology workers worry their industry will need significantly fewer employees in the future
- 33.6% of IT and cybersecurity workers believe AI may eventually be able to perform much of the work associated with their current career.
The findings highlight an important distinction in attitudes toward AI. Familiarity with the technology does not necessarily remove anxiety around it. In some cases, the workers who see most clearly what AI can already do may also be more aware of how quickly their jobs could change.
Workers Fear AI Could Break the Traditional Career Ladder
Perhaps one of the biggest long-term concerns is not whether AI eliminates entire professions, but whether it removes some of the jobs workers traditionally rely on to enter them.
The most commonly selected concern about the AI-driven job market was that entry-level jobs could disappear, making it harder for younger workers to gain experience and build a career. Overall, 28.7% of respondents are worried about this.
Concern is particularly high among:
- 36.3% of HR and recruiting workers
- 31.5% of technology workers
- 30.6% of banking and financial services workers
- 30.2% of IT and cybersecurity workers
- 31.8% of entry-level or junior employees themselves
HR and recruiting professionals say AI-driven workforce cuts are already underway
There are already signs that some employees believe this transition has begun. 17.0% of all workers surveyed say hiring has slowed or been reduced at their workplace because of AI, while 13.2% say jobs have already been eliminated.
HR and recruiting professionals, who may have particularly direct visibility into workforce decisions, stand out here: 25.2% say hiring has slowed or been reduced because of AI, and 19.3% say jobs have been eliminated.
The potential impact goes beyond fewer vacancies. Entry-level roles traditionally give workers a place to learn practical skills, develop professional judgment, build networks, and accumulate the experience required to move into more senior positions.
If AI increasingly handles the routine work once assigned to junior employees, businesses may eventually face a different question: how do you develop experienced workers if fewer people are given the opportunity to become inexperienced workers first?
Work Experience Itself May No Longer Feel as Secure
Workers are also questioning whether the qualifications and experience they have already accumulated will carry the same weight in an AI-driven economy. Looking ahead five to 10 years:
- 27.9% worry employees with AI skills or experience will have an advantage over them.
- 27.6% worry their current skills will become less valuable as AI improves.
- 24.6% fear their education or years of professional experience could become less valuable.
- 23.9% think their industry may need significantly fewer workers.
- 22.7% worry AI could perform much of the work associated with their current career.
- 22.3% worry salaries in their field could decline as AI makes certain skills less scarce.
- 16.3% think they may need to change careers to remain employable.
Only 19.4% said they do not have any concerns about competing in an AI-driven job market.
The findings suggest employees are not simply asking whether AI can do their current job. They are beginning to question what AI means for the value of the things careers have traditionally been built around: experience, specialist knowledge, qualifications, and time spent developing a skill.
The Future of Work Still Needs a Human Touch
AI is making some tasks easier and faster, but the findings show those gains are also coming with higher expectations, slower hiring, job losses, and uncertainty about the future. As businesses adopt more AI, maintaining human connection will still matter.
At TollFreeForwarding.com, we know the value of being able to pick up the phone and reach a real person when you need help, reassurance, or a clear answer. Explore TollFreeForwarding.com’s virtual phone number solutions to help keep your business accessible, responsive, and connected.
Methodology
The research was conducted by Opinion Matters among 2,001 U.S. adults working in primarily desk-based, office, corporate, administrative, professional, or knowledge-based roles at companies with at least 10 employees. Respondents represented professional sectors and functions including technology, finance, banking, insurance, marketing, advertising, communications, sales, customer service, HR, recruiting, operations, consulting, legal and corporate services, accounting, administrative work, and business services. The data was collected between August 28 and September 1, 2026. Opinion Matters abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society, follows the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles, and is a member of the British Polling Council.
