By Colleen McClain, Brian Kennedy, Jeffrey Gottfried, Monica Anderson and Giancarlo Pasquini
Pew Research Center

With artificial intelligence no longer the stuff of science fiction, its benefits and risks are being debated by everyone from casual observers to scholars. A new Pew Research Center report examines the views of two key groups: the American public and experts in the field of AI.

These surveys reveal both deep divides and common ground on AI. Experts are far more positive than the public about AI’s potential, including on jobs. Yet both groups want more personal control of AI and worry about lax government oversight.

Still, opinions among experts vary, with men more optimistic about AI than women.

Here are the key findings from surveys of U.S. adults and AI experts conducted in 2024, and in-depth interviews with experts.

Key Findings

Larger shares of experts than of U.S. adults see AI as personally beneficial. Far more of the experts surveyed believe these technologies will benefit (76%) rather than harm (15%) them personally. The public is far more likely to think AI will harm them (43%) than benefit them (24%). Still, one-third say they’re unsure.

Public optimism is low regarding AI’s impact on work. While 73% of AI experts surveyed say AI will have a very or somewhat positive impact on how people do their jobs over the next 20 years, that share drops to 23% among U.S. adults. Large gaps are also present in views about AI’s effect on the economy, medical care, education and art.

Both groups are skeptical of AI’s role in news and elections. Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults and experts think AI will have a positive impact on elections. Small shares in each group say the same for news.

Similar shares of the public and experts want more control and regulation of AI. More than half of U.S. adults (55%) and a similar share of AI experts (57%) say they want more control over how it is used in their lives. And those in both groups worry more that government regulation of AI will be too lax than overly excessive.

There are notable gender differences in the way people view AI, but these gaps are more pronounced among experts.  

Previous surveys of U.S. adults have shown that women are often more wary than men about AI. This is true in the current survey. For example, 22% of men think AI will positively impact the U.S., compared with 12% of women. 

These differences are even wider among the experts surveyed: 63% of men say AI’s impact on the U.S. over the next two decades will be very or somewhat positive, compared with 36% of women.

Among experts, men are also more likely than women to say they’re more excited than concerned about AI (53% compared with 30%) or think AI will personally benefit them (81% compared with 64%).

Views also vary based on the type of sector experts work in, particularly on AI and corporate responsibility. Six in 10 experts at colleges or universities have little to no confidence in U.S. companies to responsibly develop and use AI, compared with 39% of those at private companies or businesses who say this.

AI and Jobs

How AI will impact jobs has sparked debate and disagreement – as well as worry among workers. AI is already automating many jobs and threatening others. Others see it as creating new opportunities.  

The public has been wary about AI’s role in job loss. In the current survey, 64% of the public thinks AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next 20 years.

Far fewer experts surveyed say the same (39%). When asked about specific jobs, though, there’s some common ground.

Some jobs – like cashiers – are widely viewed as at risk. About three-quarters of U.S. adults and AI experts alike say that over the next 20 years, AI will lead to fewer jobs of this kind in the U.S. About half or more also say this for journalists, software engineers and factory workers.

On the other hand, while 62% of experts expect fewer jobs for truck drivers, this drops to 33% among the public.

And the public is more likely than the experts to expect AI-related job loss for occupations like musicians, teachers and medical doctors. Fewer than half of U.S. adults and experts alike say there will be job loss in each of these areas, though.

Public uncertainty is a factor. The shares of U.S. adults who say they’re unsure range from 13% to 26%, depending on the job.

The survey of 5,410 U.S. adults was conducted Aug. 12-18, 2024; and a separate survey of 1,013 AI experts was conducted Aug. 14-Oct. 31, 2024. 

Read more about the report HERE.