Americans Want AI Cures, Fear Job Loss: Survey

A sweeping survey by AI firm Anthropic reveals a public eager for AI's potential benefits, particularly in healthcare, yet deeply concerned about its disruptive impact, especially job displacement. The Anthropic Public Record survey, polling nearly 52,000 Americans in late 2025, found that curing diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's was the top hope for AI among 48% of respondents.

Following closely behind were hopes for AI to assist people with disabilities (36%) and drive general technological progress or make life easier (23%).

Job Loss Dominates AI Fears

Conversely, AI-induced job loss emerged as the most prevalent fear nationwide, cited by 64% of Americans. This concern was remarkably consistent across all states and demographics.

Cognitive dependency, where individuals might lose the ability to think for themselves due to AI reliance, ranked as the second most significant fear (56%), followed by misinformation (52%).

Interestingly, these fears are often anticipatory, with many expressing worry about potential harms without necessarily feeling them directly yet.

Demand for Government Oversight

A strong consensus favors government intervention, with over 70% of Americans believing regulators should play a role in AI development and deployment. This sentiment is bipartisan, cutting across party lines.

When asked where government action is most needed, Americans prioritized privacy (56%), child safety (52%), and establishing liability for AI-caused harm (49%).

Accountability Over Growth

For AI to truly benefit humanity, Americans believe holding AI companies legally liable for damages (47%) and prioritizing safety over rapid growth (44%) are the most crucial steps. Trust in AI companies to self-regulate is low, with only 15% expressing confidence.

The survey highlighted a surprising lack of deep partisan division on most AI topics, indicating broad public agreement on both the potential and the perils of artificial intelligence.

Anthropic is using this data to inform its ongoing research, including qualitative studies using tools like the Anthropic Interviewer, which has also explored user experiences.

The company plans to conduct the Anthropic Public Record survey regularly, expanding its scope and geographic reach to track evolving public attitudes.