Anthropic Reveals Americans' Anxiety About AI and Employment

A Revealing Survey on AI-Related Anxiety

A survey conducted by Anthropic, titled Anthropic Public Record, polled nearly 52,000 Americans to understand their perceptions of artificial intelligence. Conducted online by YouGov between November and December 2025, this study included 51,993 participants aged 16 and older across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This is the first survey of its kind aimed at the general public, beyond users of Anthropic's Claude chatbot.

Hopes and Fears Regarding AI

The survey revealed that 48% of respondents hope that AI will one day cure serious diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Assistance for disabled individuals is also a major hope, with 36% of participants viewing AI as a potential tool to improve their daily lives. Technological advancements and the facilitation of daily life ranked third, each garnering 23% of the votes. In contrast, the idea of AI as a therapist or remedy for loneliness, although often discussed as a significant opportunity, did not generate as much enthusiasm.

Economic and Cognitive Concerns

The dominant fears revolve around job loss, with 64% of Americans worried about their jobs being replaced by AI. This concern is particularly strong among individuals with higher education levels and ranks first in every state. The fear of cognitive dependence, meaning the loss of the ability to think for oneself, is also significant, affecting 56% of respondents. Misinformation is another source of concern, with 52% of participants worried about it. Notably, only 15% of respondents trust AI companies to make the right decisions regarding the design and deployment of this technology.

Cognitive Dependence: A Theoretical Fear

Although 56% of respondents are concerned about cognitive dependence, Anthropic notes that this fear is primarily theoretical. Among those who are worried, only about one in five believes they would actually be affected if AI were to disappear. Ironically, among the 44% who are not concerned, about one-third would feel a real disruption. Workers in the arts, design, and education sectors are the most worried about this dependence. Educators, in particular, report observing cognitive atrophy in their students 2.5 to 3 times more often than the average respondent, according to a previous study.

AI in the Workplace: Between Competence and Reluctance

Approximately 75% of participants believe that AI is at least as competent as humans for research tasks. However, the majority do not want AI to be involved in their own work. Even for tasks deemed most suitable for AI, such as research and data analysis, nearly half of the respondents prefer that AI not intervene in their work. Acceptance of AI, however, seems linked to the perception of its capabilities: the more people believe AI is competent in a field, the more inclined they are to use it. Daily AI users at work are also much less worried about job loss (54%) than those who do not use AI at all (70%). Anthropic suggests that hands-on experience with AI can alleviate fears by demonstrating both its capabilities and limitations.