Terrifying! 20 Percent of Workers Admit Their Tasks Have Been Taken Over by AI, Here Are the Facts

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding rapidly and beginning to have a direct impact on the world of work. A recent survey shows that 20 percent of full-time workers in the United States admit that some of their tasks have been taken over by AI. The survey was conducted by Epoch AI in collaboration with Ipsos on around 2,000 adults in the United States. The results indicate that about half of the respondents used AI in the past week, either for personal or work purposes. In addition to replacing tasks, AI is also creating new types of jobs. As many as 15 percent of full-time workers stated that they have started working on new tasks that did not previously exist without AI assistance. This finding shows a change in work patterns along with the adoption of the technology. Caroline Falkman Olsson from Epoch AI stated that the data reflects the ongoing changes. “When we really look at how people report their AI usage, we do see effects of augmentation and automation,” she said, as quoted from NBC News, Friday, 10 April 2026. “However, we need to find out how workplaces and actual tasks are changing,” she added. The survey, conducted from 3 to 5 March, also shows relatively light patterns of AI usage. Nearly 50 percent of AI users use it between two and five days a week. However, around 62.5 percent only use AI for one to two simple tasks on their highest usage days. Meanwhile, only about 6 percent are considered intensive users. Nicholas Miailhe from the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence views these findings as a warning for workers and policymakers. “When 1 in 5 workers say AI has already replaced part of their work, we can start talking about the restructuring of the labour market happening in real time,” he said. “The fact that replacement seems faster than augmentation should be our concern. The policy window to shape how AI changes work may be closing faster than many governments realise.” The survey also found that about half of workplace AI users use services from personal subscriptions or free versions, rather than those provided by their employer.