Automation fears may drive policy changes, Indeed says

Sixty percent of Americans believe automation, robots and artificial intelligence (AI) will put jobs at risk, according to Indeed poll results. This fear crosses geographic and demographic boundaries, Indeed said, but those most afraid are those with less education, perhaps because their jobs are most at risk. These automation concerns could lead to policy demands, according to Indeed. Those who expressed worry tended to favor reducing legal immigration — "perhaps in the hope they won't have to compete as hard for the dwindling number of jobs that survive automation," the group said. They also favored a reduction in occupational licensing requirements and the adoption of a jobs guarantee. Those worried about automation, however, were no more likely to support government-provided worker training, despite experts' insistence that training will be necessary. A universal basic income also only had slightly higher support from those worried about automation.