- Almost half of UK workers fear losing their jobs, but use of agents continues to grow
- Workers are also concerned about workplace control
- Human supervision remains key, but worker retraining is essential
New data from the GMB union has revealed that almost half (48%) of UK workers fear AI will take away their jobs amid wider AI rollouts, which could be reducing its uptake.
Nearly a third (29%) said their employers have introduced AI tools, and a quarter (26%) said AI now performs tasks they would normally do themselves, fueling fears.
But beyond administrative support and possible work automation, a clear misunderstanding of technology could be generating other fears in the workplace.
Workers worried about job cuts despite growing AI adoption
For example, nearly half (48%) believe AI is being used to monitor or track them, introducing new fears of surveillance and performance monitoring.
GMB compares its findings to previous changes such as the advent of the internet: union representatives argue that AI could actually improve productivity and point out that displaced workers should receive 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 division and 450 jobs at Nestlé. These examples, as well as the more than 117,000 tech workers who have already been laid off in 2026 (via layoffs.fyi), put workers’ fears to the test.
“We can’t let companies do the right thing. As we all know, their priority will almost always be the bottom line,” one worker told GMB.
“The Government must legislate to protect workers’ jobs or ensure retraining or relocation when change is inevitable.”
Independent research from Stack Overflow also points to growing adoption of AI, seeing a 90% year-over-year increase from 31% to 59%, as well as a 164% increase in daily usage, indicating more frequent use and increased trust.
However, even as employers begin to integrate autonomous AI agents, the report highlights how important human workers remain. Three in five rarely or never allow agents to complete tasks without human supervision (63%).
A similar number (60%) also prevent agents from making unapproved changes to the system, with the emergence of systems such as Claude Code and Codex capable of greater autonomy.
Fears about immediate job losses are also being dismissed as companies continue to struggle with the same obstacles they have faced for years, meaning the effects of AI on workers could still be years away. About four in five are concerned about AI accuracy (82%) and security/privacy risks (77%).
Change is on the horizon
However, things could be changing, as companies start to worry less about the same things they have worried about for years. Although cost remains a major barrier for 38%, it is down from 53% last year.
But even as AI adoption increases, other studies have suggested that 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 could be displaced. Given that the disruption is estimated to affect 22% of workers, it could be more about repositioning roles and retraining workers than about losing humans entirely.
Looking ahead, the WEF considers that artificial intelligence, data, networks, cybersecurity and technological literacy in general are the most in-demand skills.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds.
