Overview

• Seventy-one percent of U.S. adults say they worry AI will put too many people out of work permanently, according to a six-day Reuters/Ipsos survey that concluded Monday.
• Public concern extends beyond employment, with 77% fearing AI could be used to sow political chaos and 48% saying the government should never let AI select targets for military strikes.
• Energy use is a growing worry as 61% express concern about the electricity required for AI, and Google recently agreed with two U.S. utilities to curb data center power during grid stress.
• Despite anxiety, broad labor-market signals show few signs of mass unemployment, with the U.S. jobless rate at 4.2% in July.
• A separate Mercury survey of 1,500 early-stage founders reports that nearly 80% of startups with significant AI adoption are hiring more, while local reporting cites an unspecified estimate of over 10,000 U.S. jobs lost to AI this year.