Survey: majority worried about the consequences of AI

According to a survey by credit insurer Allianz Trade, artificial intelligence (AI) is fueling fears about jobs. According to the survey, 47% of respondents in Germany expect AI to reduce the number of jobs. Only 35 percent assumed that it would create more jobs. Allianz Trade said it surveyed almost 6,300 people aged 18 and over in six European countries from April 26 to May 13 - 1020 Germans and French, 1172 Austrians, 1021 Italians, 1032 Poles and 1006 Spaniards. Looking at all countries, the proportion of people worried about jobs was 46%, while the proportion of people who believed that there would be additional jobs was 33%.

According to the survey, even greater than the fear for jobs is the concern about increasing inequality. For example, 53% of the Germans surveyed believe that with the further spread of AI, the educated and intelligent will become smarter and smarter, while the rest will be left behind. Only a quarter of respondents were optimistic. The overall average for all six countries was 51 to 21 percent. In general, people in these countries see more risks than opportunities with AI - 36 percent to 21 percent.

Will AI help combat demographic change?

"The population in many European countries is unsettled by the rapid upheaval and is therefore skeptical," says Arne Holzhausen, Head of Insurance, Wealth and ESG at Allianz Research. Experts expect significant positive economic effects. "The key is not to replace employees with AI tools, but to use AI to supplement and expand their skills," emphasizes Holzhausen. However, this requires investment in retraining, further training and preparing employees for new forms of work.

In view of the shortage of skilled workers, AI could even be a stroke of luck, according to Holzhausen. This is because the development of AI coincides with demographic change, i.e. an ageing population and a shrinking workforce, which could lead to a labor shortage in many sectors. "By increasing productivity and automating routine tasks, AI (...) could help to meet this looming challenge."

ifo Institute: More companies are using AI

According to the ifo Institute, the German economy is now relying more heavily on artificial intelligence. According to the institute, 27% of companies currently use AI. Last year, the figure was 13.3 percent. For around one in five companies, AI is currently not an issue. 17.5 percent are planning to use AI in the coming months. "The development is likely to accelerate," says Klaus Wohlrabe, head of the ifo surveys. "Companies expect the use of AI to increase their productivity by more than 10 percent."

The number of companies using AI in their business processes has increased in almost all sectors. This was reported by more than 33% in the automotive industry, electronics industry, pharmaceutical industry and textile and clothing industry. Among service providers, advertising and market research (72%) and IT service providers (around 60%) stand out in particular. In retail, 22% of companies currently use AI. Only 11.6 percent are in the construction industry. The skeptics, who do not currently see any potential applications, are found in particular in the construction sector (around 42%) and the hospitality industry (40%).