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Three-quarters of adult Dutch citizens believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to job losses, according to new research from the Netherlands’ Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). A significant majority also anticipate that AI will erode the knowledge and skills of the workforce.
The CBS study examined public opinion regarding AI, specifically focusing on its potential impact on the labor market. Nearly 50 percent of respondents indicated they expect AI to diminish the appeal of certain job functions.
The specific roles most vulnerable to automation remain unclear. “You can think of administrative functions, but also some care tasks that are taken over by robots,” explained Luuk Hovius of the CBS. “Or think of self-driving cars that can help delivery drivers. It’s very demanding to predict, due to the fact that we can’t notice how the technology will develop.” This uncertainty adds to concerns about the future of work in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
The potential for AI to automate tasks is also driving fears of skill degradation among employees. Approximately 64 percent of Dutch adults believe that AI will contribute to a loss of expertise. “You could think of certain administrative functions, typing and writing skills, calculation ability, or coding. You don’t have to do that coding work yourself, but you can give it as an assignment to AI,” Hovius stated.
More than three-quarters of Dutch adults over the age of 18 expressed concern about the broader societal impact of AI. However, slightly less than half believe that AI could help solve problems such as labor shortages or productivity deficits.
