- Almost half of UK workers fear losing their jobs, but the use of agents continues to grow
- Workers are also concerned about workplace surveillance
- Human supervision remains key, but retraining workers is a must
New data from the GMB Union has revealed that almost half (48%) of UK workers worry that AI will take their jobs amid wider AI rollouts, which could reduce take-up.
Almost a third (29%) said their employers have introduced AI tools, and a quarter (26%) noted that artificial intelligence is now performing tasks they would normally do themselves, fueling the fear.
But beyond administrative support and potential job automation, a clear misunderstanding of the technology can cause fear for other workplaces.
Workers worried about job cuts despite rising AI adoption
For example, nearly half (48%) believe AI is being used to monitor or track them, introducing new fears about surveillance and performance monitoring.
The GMB compares its findings to previous shifts such as the rise of the internet – union representatives argue that AI could actually improve productivity, noting that displaced workers should be given the support, training and opportunities they deserve.
The union pointed to two recent local redundancies in the UK, including around 1,000 jobs at Asda’s George branch and 450 jobs at Nestlé. These examples, as well as the more than 117,000 tech workers laid off as early as 2026 (via layoffs.fyi), add to workers’ fears.
“We can’t just leave it to the companies to do the right thing. As we all know, their priority will almost always be their bottom line,” one employee told GMB.
“Government must legislate to protect workers’ jobs or guarantee retraining or relocation when change is inevitable.”
Separate Stack Overflow research also points to growing AI adoption, noting a 90% year-over-year increase from 31% to 59%, as well as a 164% increase in daily usage, indicating more frequent use and greater trust.
But even as employers begin to integrate autonomous AI agents, the report highlights how important human workers remain. Three in five rarely or never let agents perform tasks without human supervision (63%).
A similar number (60%) also prevent agents from making unauthorized system changes, with the emergence of systems such as Claude Code and Codex capable of greater autonomy.
Fears of immediate job losses are also being discounted, with companies still grappling with the same hurdles they’ve faced for years, suggesting AI’s effects on workers could be years away. About four in five are concerned about AI accuracy (82%) and security/privacy risks (77%).
Change is on the horizon
Things may be changing, however, where companies start to worry less about the same things they’ve been worried about for years. Although cost still acts as a major barrier for 38%, this is down from 53% last year.
But even as AI adoption increases, other studies have suggested we may not be at risk after all.
Separate research by the World Economic Forum expects 170 million new jobs to be created by 2030, although 92 million may be displaced. With disruption estimated to affect 22% of workers, it could be more about repositioning roles and retraining workers than losing people entirely.
Looking ahead, the WEF sees AI, data, networking, cybersecurity and technology literacy in general as the most in-demand skills.
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