Looking towards an automated future: U.S. attitudes towards future artificial intelligence instantiations and their effect

Abstract

The present study explores people’s attitudes towards an assortment of occupations on high and low-likelihood of automation probability. An omnibus survey (N = 1150) was conducted to measure attitudes about various emerging technologies, as well as demographic and individual traits. The results showed that respondents were not very comfortable with AI’s management across domains. To some degree, levels of comfort corresponded with the likelihood of automation probability, though some domains diverged from this pattern. Demographic traits explained the most variance in comfort with AI revealing that men and those with higher perceived technology competence were more comfortable with AI management in every domain. With the exception of personal assistance, those with lower internal locus of control were more comfortable with AI managing in almost every domain. Age, education, and employment showed little influence on comfort levels. The present study demonstrates a more holistic approach of assessing attitudes toward AI management at work. By incorporating demographic and self-efficacy variables, our research revealed that AI systems are perceived differently compared to other recent technological innovations.