Indians Most Worried About AI Taking Over Jobs, Finds Survey

India has emerged as the country with the highest number of employees who believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace their jobs in the next decade, according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by Global Public Opinion on Artificial Intelligence (GPO-AI) across 21 nations, asked over 1,000 people in each country if they felt their work was likely to be automated by machines or computers in the next 10 years. The findings, shared by Visual Capitalist, reveal differences in opinion between emerging and developed economies.

In India, three out of four respondents were concerned about the future of their jobs. According to the survey, 36% of Indians said “definitely yes” when asked if AI would replace their role. A further 39% said “probably yes.” Only 17% said “probably no” and just 8% replied “definitely no.”

In Pakistan, 72% of the respondents felt there was the possibility of losing their jobs to AI. In Indonesia, the number was even higher at 76%. The responses of the participants place these three countries at the top of the list of nations that believe their jobs could be replaced by AI.

The survey shows that employees in developing economies, where digital technology and automation are growing fast, are more aware of the dangers of change caused by AI.

A recent study titled ‘Skill-Based Labour Market Polarisation in the Age of AI: A Comparative Analysis of India and the United States' also revealed this fact. It stated that “developing economies face a ‘double vulnerability' – concentration of employment in both low-skill occupations and jobs with higher automation potential, complicated by lower AI preparedness scores.”

In contrast, developed countries' respondents were sure that their employment wasn't under threat from AI. In Germany, just 34% said they thought AI would replace their jobs, while 66% said “probably no”, or “definitely no.” Japan had the lowest number of respondents who believed that their jobs were in danger, with only 5% choosing “definitely yes.” Canada was also quite confident that AI would not steal their jobs, with just 30% saying “definitely no.”

The results reveal how attitudes to AI significantly vary by regions, influenced both by economic scenarios and technology adoption. For India and the rest of the emerging economies, the findings indicate an alarming situation for employees in several sectors as AI may change the job scenario over the next few years.