Americans Get Wary as AI Layoffs Surpass 100K

According to reports, over 100,000 jobs have already been replaced, at least in part, by AI in the U.S. Americans are concerned about what’s happening, with half of the population feeling more concerned than excited about the increased use of this tech.

Key Takeaways:

• After 110,348 jobs lost to AI since 2025, Oracle and Meta layoffs show tech firms will keep shifting funds to AI.
• Pew Research found 50% of Americans fear AI’s daily impact, while 36% expect future harm to their jobs.
• To combat future labor impacts, OpenAI’s Sam Altman proposed an AI wealth fund and taxing AI revenue to fund welfare.

Worries keep rising as U.S. AI-Linked Layoffs Surpass 100K

Artificial intelligence (AI) tech is increasingly being integrated into the lives of American citizens. Still, not everyone shares the same enthusiasm for this adoption, especially regarding its effects on the labor market.

While there are no official numbers, the Alliance for Secure AI, an organization that seeks to educate the public about the implications of AI, estimates that 110,348 jobs have been replaced since January 2025 because of this revolutionary technology.

One of the last layoffs announcements accounted for includes Oracle’s latest 30K round of layoffs and Meta’s recent layoffs in California, both of which were reported to be linked to a rise in AI spending and the need to streamline and cut expenses as the tech sector shifts.

Nonetheless, as this pivot unfolds, Americans remain tepid about the impact of AI in both their daily lives and the labor environment. According to Pew Research, 50% of all Americans were more concerned than excited about the implementation of AI in their everyday lives.

In the same way, the survey reported an increasing concern about the influence that AI tech will have on how people do their jobs. In this regard, 36% think that AI will harm how people do their jobs, while 27% were equally positive and negative on the issue.

As the situation unfolds, industry heads are already preparing proposals to protect America’s social welfare as the industry gets less labor-intensive and more AI-focused. OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently proposed a new AI deal that would tax AI-linked income rather than labor and offer each citizen a stake in an AI-sponsored wealth fund.

Former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei share similar takes on the subject, proposing levying AI income to fund public welfare.