Americans worry robots will take jobs, but not theirs

A new nationwide survey, exclusively shared with Semafor by advisory firm Breakwater Strategy and YouGov, reveals that Americans believe robots will begin displacing jobs within the next five years. However, the survey indicates that the notion of robotics remains distant for many. Steve Weber, a Breakwater partner and UC Berkeley professor, shared this sentiment with Semafor, stating that while there is significant anxiety about job displacement, robots are still seen as being in a distant realm.

Most respondents expressed comfort with robots operating in grocery store stockrooms or loading docks, locations where robots are essentially out of sight. Conversely, only 39% of the participants were comfortable with robots working at self-checkout areas. The public's perception of robots is expected to evolve as their deployment expands beyond pilot programs, similar to the fluctuating attitudes towards large language models.

Barclays researcher Zornitsa Todorova noted that public sentiment towards such technologies oscillates between excitement and deep anxiety as the impact on jobs, privacy, safety, and security becomes more apparent.