Over half of Americans surveyed in a recent poll (53%) said they are afraid that AI could lead people in their household to lose their jobs.
Reuters detailed that fewer than four in 10 Americans (37%) said they are not afraid of such a scenario, while the remaining respondents said they are not worried or chose not to answer.
AI was the the leading reason companies gave for layoffs in April for the second straight month amid rising economic uncertainty and heavy spending on AI infrastructure.
Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported last month that 21,490 layoffs in April were tied to AI-related restructuring, accounting for 26% of all announced cuts during the month.
The total number of layoffs rose 38% from March, while the technology sector recorded the largest share of reductions with 33,361 job cuts, according to the firm.
Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, said companies are increasingly redirecting payroll budgets toward AI investments rather than expanding headcount.
"Regardless of whether individual jobs are being replaced by AI, the money for those roles is," Challenger said in a statement released alongside the report.
At the same time, a new report from the Nasdaq Economic Institute found applications from one-person firms have climbed more than 20% since early 2025 as the availability of AI tools fuel entrepreneurship.
The findings are based on an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau business application data and were published Tuesday by Nasdaq.
Nearly half of the increase in solo business applications came from industries with high levels of AI adoption, including technology, finance and professional services. Nasdaq Chief Economist Phil Mackintosh said the concentration of growth in those sectors represents an early indication of where the economic effects of AI-related tools are appearing first, according to the institute's findings.
The analysis examined business applications classified as firms not expecting to hire workers or pay wages in the near term. While some of those businesses may eventually add employees, the category largely reflects entrepreneurs operating on their own.
Federal data shows overall business formation remains elevated. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that seasonally adjusted business applications reached 503,171 in April 2026, up 2.1% from March.
The Nasdaq report also highlighted a complicating factor behind the increase. Some of the growth appears linked to tax-reporting changes that prompted online sellers on platforms such as Etsy and eBay to formally register as businesses, adding to the number of non-employer applications.
The findings come amid broader debate over the economic impact of AI. Recent reporting from Reuters noted growing investor scrutiny of whether heavy spending on AI is translating into measurable business results, even as technology companies continue pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure and development.
