Key Takeaways
- Nearly 64% of Americans expect AI to lead to fewer jobs in the next 20 years, indicating widespread automation anxiety.
- Over 85,000 technology sector jobs have been eliminated in the first four months of 2023, a 33% increase from the same period last year.
- Despite layoffs, companies are still hiring in AI roles, with a cautiously optimistic view that AI will create new job opportunities even as it disrupts existing ones.
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating significant concern among employees as they grapple with the implications of automation on their job security. At the recent Web Summit in Vancouver, Kyle Hanslovan, a prominent figure in the tech industry, highlighted this growing trend, stating, “I think many will be pressured in the next five years, where their job can be automated.” The reality of this anxiety was underscored by Meta’s recent decision to lay off 8,000 employees, which amounts to roughly 10% of its workforce. Similarly, Intuit, the company behind TurboTax, announced it would reduce its global workforce by 17%, equating to around 3,000 jobs, as it accelerates its integration of AI technologies.
In a memo to staff regarding the layoffs, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg warned that success in the AI-driven landscape cannot be taken for granted, although he reassured employees that there are no further layoffs planned for this year. According to data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, over 85,000 jobs in the tech sector have been cut from January to April 2026, marking a 33% increase compared to the same timeframe last year. This comes as part of a broader trend, with more than 300,000 layoffs across various industries reported year-to-date, a figure that remains approximately half of last year’s total, significantly influenced by the mass federal government layoffs that occurred early in the second Trump administration.
Sim Desai, CEO of Hiive Capital, acknowledged the inevitable disruption that accompanies such transitions but also noted that investments in AI tools are generating new job opportunities. He remarked on a panel, “In the short term, there’s a lot of job creation, because a lot of people are investing in adopting AI tools.” This sentiment of cautious optimism was echoed by Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, who mentioned in a recent CNBC interview that he anticipates a labor shortage resulting from AI advancements, stating, “It’s going to elevate all of these people. We’re going to have so much productivity.”
Despite these optimistic projections from industry leaders, a recent study from Stanford University revealed that nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) believe AI will ultimately reduce job availability over the next two decades. This pervasive anxiety was evident during a commencement address by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt at the University of Arizona, where he faced a wave of boos after asserting that AI’s impact would be “larger, faster, and more consequential than what came before.”
Particularly vulnerable in this shifting landscape are new graduates, with Anthropic’s co-founder and CEO, Dario Amodei, forecasting that AI could eliminate as much as half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next one to five years. Supporting this assertion, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates has risen to 5.6%, significantly higher than the 35-year average of 4.5%, as reported by the New York Federal Reserve.
Despite the prevailing negative sentiment surrounding job security, businesses continue to hire. Hanslovan noted, “I am definitely hiring, even now more than I was before,” indicating that Huntress is actively seeking software engineers, detection engineers, product managers, and sales leaders. Steven Schwartz, co-founder and CEO of the $1.6 billion creator marketplace Whop, acknowledged the uncertainties surrounding the future of work in the AI era but expressed his belief that AI would not entirely replace jobs. He anticipated an expansion of his team over the next two years, suggesting a growth in employment opportunities despite the automation concerns.
Recent statistics reflect a robust job market, with the U.S. economy adding 304,000 jobs in 2026 according to the Labor Department’s establishment survey. The current unemployment rate remains low at 4.3%, indicating that the labor market is still resilient in the face of technological change.
The broader implications of AI and automation on employment were also evident in political discussions. President Donald Trump recently delayed the signing of an anticipated executive order aimed at pre-vetting frontier AI models for cybersecurity risks. Trump expressed concern that proceeding with the order could hinder U.S. competitiveness in the global race for AI leadership, a field where the United States currently holds a significant advantage.
As the dialogue surrounding automation and job security continues, it is clear that while AI presents challenges, it also brings opportunities for growth and innovation. Balancing these elements will be crucial as society navigates the complex landscape of work in the age of artificial intelligence.
