WASHINGTON, D.C.: Concerns about artificial intelligence are rising across the United States, with a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showing that half of Americans fear the technology could eventually cost them or someone in their household a job.

The six-day survey, completed on June 9, found that 53 percent of respondents worried that advances in AI could put household employment at risk. The concern was broadly shared across age groups, genders, and education levels.

By contrast, 37 percent said they were not worried at all, while 10 percent were either unsure or declined to answer.

The findings come amid growing debate over AI's impact on the workplace following a series of job cuts at major companies pursuing AI initiatives. Software company Intuit announced last month that it would lay off 17 percent of its global workforce as part of efforts to streamline operations and focus on priorities, including artificial intelligence.

The technology's rapid adoption has also sparked concerns about its potential use in political propaganda, entertainment, and warfare, prompting warnings from political leaders and Pope Leo XIV.

While many of the announced layoffs have occurred in the technology sector, the broader impact on employment remains unclear. The U.S. labor market has continued to post solid job growth in recent months.

The survey found a political divide in attitudes toward AI. Some 61 percent of Democrats said they were concerned about AI affecting jobs in their household, compared with 47 percent of Republicans.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,531 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Jennifer Schalhoub, a 62-year-old freelance writer from Little Ferry, New Jersey, said she recently lost a job writing letters to government officials advocating for policy issues and suspects AI played a role.

"AI is taking over because people care less and less about the quality of the work that gets produced," Schalhoub said.

Artificial intelligence entered the mainstream in 2022 with the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT, a chatbot capable of responding to questions in a human-like manner. The technology quickly emerged as a new way to search for information online and challenged established players such as Alphabet, Google's parent Company.

OpenAI and rival Anthropic have since become leading names in the industry, attracting major corporate clients and generating significant investor interest through plans to pursue public stock listings.

The poll also found that college graduates are more likely to use AI tools regularly. Half of respondents with degrees said they use AI frequently, compared with 34 percent of those without degrees. Overall, 40 percent of Americans reported regular use of AI.

Concern about AI adoption has increased since 2023. Some 73 percent of Americans said they were worried about the technology's growing use, up from 68 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted three years ago.

Lauren Hayes, a clinical psychologist in Washington state, said some of her clients have begun turning to AI tools between therapy sessions to help manage anxiety.

"I don't believe that artificial intelligence can have the nuance that a person has," Hayes said.