Searches for "AI Taking Jobs" Soared by 304% Globally in the Past Year, Led by Heightened Australian Concern

• US searches on "AI taking jobs" surged by 276% in Dec. 2023 (when compared with the same month of last year), led by California and Virginia.
• Overall, global interest in the topic has surged by 9,200% since December 2013.
• Current likelihood of AI replacing jobs is low, serving as a tool for professionals, but future advancements may pose a higher risk.
• Google Trends show a 2,666% rise in searches for 'AI jobs,' indicating potential job creation; 2024 will be a critical test for concerns about job obsolescence.

The main question that people tend to have as far as AI is concerned has to do with whether or not it will end up taking everyone’s jobs. It turns out that online searches in the United States focusing on this concern have increased by a whopping 276% as compared to last year (December of 2022). Most of these searches came from California as well as Virginia, and it’s likely due to the increased prevalence of AI after the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT with all things having been considered and taken into account.

When comparing December 2023 data to December of 2013, US search interest in this term has jumped up by approximately 7,800%.

When looking at the global picture while comparing last year trends (December 2022), it is important to note that Australia is showing an even higher level of concern than the US, with Canada, the Philippines and the UK following it in the list. In the US, this search term was used 276% more frequently, which is 28 points lower than the global average, i.e. 304%.

This seems to suggest that the US is not quite as concerned as some other nations in the world, with the global increase in the search term "Artificial intelligence taking jobs" being around 9,200% since December of 2013 compared to 7,300% for America. With this term reaching an all time high, paying attention to consumer concerns will be critical because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up mitigating any fears that they might have.

The likelihood that AI will replace jobs is currently rather low, with generative AI largely serving as a tool for professionals rather than an outright replacement. In spite of the fact that this is the case, AI will become more advanced in the future which will make it more likely that it will take jobs away from people than might have been the case otherwise.

When looking at the flip side, Google Trends insights from the past decade, compiled by Digital Information World team, show that AI might be creating a decent number of jobs. The data reveals a 2666% increase in searches for 'AI jobs,' with most of them coming from Singapore, Kenya, and Pakistan. Furthermore, statistics indicate that data science and machine learning were among some of the top search queries and topics.

It will be interesting to see where things go from here on out, since global sentiment can be surmised based on the findings presented above. They’ve been gleaned from Google Trends and reveal a growing level of trepidation that certain jobs will become obsolete, and 2024 will prove to be a litmus test that will determine whether or not these concerns have any kind of factual basis.

Read next: GenAI Prism - This Infographic Illuminates the Expansive Universe of Generative AI Tools
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World