Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 19
Pew Finds 50-64 Group Least Worried About AI as 52% of Americans Remain Concerned
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 19

Pew Finds 50-64 Group Least Worried About AI as 52% of Americans Remain Concerned

3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Aug 19

Summary

  • 50- to 64-year-olds were the only age group without a majority saying they were more concerned than excited about AI in Pew’s latest survey.
  • 52% of Americans overall now say they are more concerned than excited, up from 37% in Pew’s comparable 2021 survey and tying the highest concern level recorded.
  • Among adults under 30, 55% were more concerned than excited—the first time that age group has turned net pessimistic in this survey.
  • Concern among 50- to 64-year-olds has eased in each of the past four surveys, falling from 59% in 2023 to 52% in 2025, even as 72% of them expect AI to mean fewer jobs over 20 years.
  • Pew’s age-group trend reflects fresh samples each year rather than the same respondents aging through the survey, making the 50-64 shift notable but harder to interpret.

Insights

Why are the youngest workers suddenly the most terrified of the very artificial intelligence tools they use every single day?
Could the rising wave of corporate AI washing actually be a convenient smokescreen hiding the real reasons behind massive industry layoffs?
If curing cancer is the only way to make us trust AI, what does that say about the technology we already rely on?