Workforce AI Sentiment Shifts as Job Fears Resurface

Glassdoor data reveals declining positive sentiment and rising negative sentiment around AI in workplace applications across U.S. workers, with significant variation by occupation and company size.

U.S. worker sentiment toward AI in workplace applications dropped from 81% positive in 2019 to 43% by mid-2026, while negative sentiment rose to 53% during the same period. Glassdoor reviews show AI mentions surged from under 0.2% to 2.3% of all reviews between January 2019 and May 2026, with the most dramatic growth (240%) occurring between May 2025 and May 2026. The data reveals stark occupational divides: media and communications workers show the highest critical sentiment, while arts and nonprofit workers report the most negative reactions. Small companies (under 200 employees) face 51% negative AI sentiment, versus 67% for large companies (over 10,000 employees). Among generational groups, Gen Z women report only 21% positive sentiment toward AI, while leadership roles show the highest positive sentiment.

This shift reflects growing workplace friction around AI adoption. The data indicates that while 44% of positive reviews come from workers benefiting from AI tools, 20% of negative reviews directly cite job loss fears as the primary concern. The sentiment gap between groups suggests AI’s impact on labor access to the commons is uneven, with certain occupations facing heightened displacement risks.

This friction reduces capacity for collective resource production. When workers perceive AI as a threat to job security—especially in high-risk occupations—labor participation in community-driven systems declines. This directly constrains the ability to maintain shared resources like healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The most immediate risk lies in occupations where AI adoption is accelerating but worker protections lag, such as customer service and insurance roles.

What to watch: The divergence between small and large companies, generational impacts on AI adoption, and whether sentiment shifts correlate with actual job displacement. Caveats: Glassdoor reviews may not represent all workers (unhappy workers leave reviews more frequently), and negative sentiment overlaps with existing concerns like burnout and layoffs. The data shows a trend, not absolute outcomes.

Source: The Decoder