Automation in Everyday Life
Americans generally express more worry than enthusiasm when asked about these automation technologies. Most prominently, Americans are roughly twice as likely to express worry (72%) than enthusiasm (33%) about a future in which robots and computers are capable of doing many jobs that are currently done by humans. They are also around three times as likely to express worry (67%) than enthusiasm (22%) about algorithms that can make hiring decisions without any human involvement. By comparison, public views towards driverless vehicles and robot caregivers exhibit more balance between worry and enthusiasm.
The public also expresses a number of concerns when asked about the likely outcomes they anticipate from these technological developments. For instance, 76% of Americans expect that economic inequality will become much worse if robots and computers are able to perform many of the jobs that are currently done by humans. A similar share (75%) anticipates that the economy will not create many new, better-paying jobs for humans if this scenario becomes a reality. And 64% expect that people will have a hard time finding things to do with their lives if forced to compete with advanced robots and computers for jobs.
In the case of driverless vehicles, 75% of the public anticipates that this development will help the elderly and disabled live more independent lives. But a slightly larger share (81%) expects that many people who drive for a living will suffer job losses as a result. And although a plurality (39%) expects that the number of people killed or injured in traffic accidents will decrease if driverless vehicles become widespread, another 30% thinks that autonomous vehicles will make the roads less safe for humans. Similarly, seven-in-ten Americans (70%) anticipate that robot caregivers would help alleviate the burden of caring for aging relatives – but nearly two-thirds (64%) expect that these technologies would increase feelings of isolation for the older adults in their care.
Majorities of Americans are reluctant to use emerging automation technologies themselves and express concerns about removing the human element from important decisions
Along with these concerns, the public generally responds favorably to policies that would limit the use of these technologies to specific situations or that would bring human beings more fully into their operations. In the event that robots and computers become capable of doing many human jobs, for example, 85% of Americans are in favor of limiting machines to performing primarily those jobs that are dangerous or unhealthy for humans. Were robots and computers to become widely competitive with human workers, majorities would also support providing all Americans with a guaranteed income that would allow people to meet their basic needs (60% in favor), as well as a national service program that would pay humans to perform jobs even if machines could do them faster or cheaper (58% in favor). In addition, a notably larger share of the public sides with the notion that there should be limits on the number of jobs businesses can replace with machines, as opposed to the idea that businesses are justified in automating human jobs if they can receive better work at lower cost (by a 58% to 41% margin).
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are substantially more likely than Republicans and Republican-leaning independents to favor both a universal income (by a 77% to 38% margin) and a national service program (by a 66% to 46% margin) in the event that machines threaten to displace substantial numbers of human workers. But the vast majority of Americans – regardless of party affiliation – support limiting machines to performing dangerous and dirty jobs. And roughly comparable shares of Democrats (60%) and Republicans (54%) feel that there should generally be limits on the number of jobs businesses can replace with robots or computers.
The desire for increased human control of these technologies is present in Americans' attitudes toward other concepts in this survey as well. The vast majority of Americans (87%) would favor a requirement that all driverless vehicles have a human in the driver's seat who can take control of the vehicle in the event of an emergency, with 53% favoring this policy strongly. Meanwhile, roughly half (48%) of Americans would feel better about the concept of a robot caregiver if there was a human operator who could remotely monitor its actions at all times. And 57% would feel better about the concept of a hiring algorithm if it was only used for the initial screening of job candidates prior to a traditional in-person interview.
A key attitudinal divide around emerging automation technologies: Those who are excited to try these technologies themselves versus those who are more hesitant
Beyond the examples noted above, Americans anticipate significant changes to the nature of jobs and work in the coming decades as a result of automation. Overall, roughly three-quarters of Americans (77%) think it's realistic that robots and computers might one day be able to do many of the jobs currently done by humans, with 20% describing this prospect as extremely realistic. And substantial shares of Americans anticipate that automation will impact a number of specific career fields over the course of their lifetimes. Sizable majorities expect that jobs such as fast food workers and insurance claims processors will be mostly performed by machines during that timeframe, while around half expect that the same will be true of jobs such as software engineers and legal clerks.
At the same time, few of today's workers expect that their own jobs or professions are at risk of being automated. In total, just 30% of workers think it's at least somewhat likely that their jobs will be mostly done by robots or computers during their lifetimes. Indeed, roughly four times as many workers describe this outcome as “not at all likely” (30%) as describe it as “very likely” (7%). Workers in certain industries (such as hospitality and service, or retail) are more likely to view their jobs as being at risk compared with those in others (such as education). But across a range of occupations, majorities of workers anticipate that their jobs or professions will not be impacted by automation to a significant degree.
6% of Americans report that they have already been impacted by automation in the form of lost jobs and/or wages
More broadly, the survey also finds that the current generation of workforce technologies has had widely disparate impacts on today's workers. For some – especially those with high levels of educational attainment – technology represents a largely positive force that makes their work more interesting and provides opportunities for career advancement. But those who have not attended college are much less likely to view today's workforce technologies in such a positive light.
The survey asked about the impact that six common workforce technologies have had on today's workers. These include word processing and spreadsheet software; smartphones; email and social media; software that manages people's daily schedules; technologies that help customers serve themselves without the assistance of a human worker; and industrial robots. It finds that workers with college degrees are substantially more likely than those who have not attended college to say that each of these individual technologies has had a positive impact on their jobs or careers. Indeed, roughly one-quarter (24%) of workers with high school diplomas or less say that not a single one of these six technologies has had a positive impact on their jobs or careers; for college graduates that share is just 2%.
When it comes to the overall impact of technology on them in a professional context, just 38% of workers with high school diplomas or less indicate that technology in general has made their jobs more interesting. And a similarly modest share (32%) feels that technology has increased their opportunities for career advancement. In each instance, these figures are substantially lower than those reported by workers who have continued their formal education beyond high school.
The public anticipates widespread advances in the development and adoption of automation technologies over the coming decades
Many Americans anticipate that various automation technologies will make significant inroads in terms of their development and adoption in the coming decades. Driverless vehicles are perhaps the most prominent example of this trend. Fully 94% of Americans have some awareness of the effort to develop driverless vehicles, and roughly two-thirds of the public anticipates that most vehicles on the road will be driverless within the next half-century – with 9% predicting that this will occur in the next 10 years.
Additionally, substantial shares of Americans think it's likely that within 20 years doctors will rely on computer programs to diagnose and treat most diseases (79% think this will definitely or probably happen); that most retail interactions will be fully automated and involve little or no human interaction between customers and employees (65%); and that most deliveries in cities will be made by robots or drones instead of humans (65%).
