# Only 1 in 3 US workers expect AI to improve their jobs, widening class divide by income

> A new poll from the Groundwork Collaborative and Ipsos puts a number on something many workers already feel: optimism about AI at work tracks closely with income. Among Americans earning six figures or more, 40 percent expect AI to make their jobs better. Among those earning under 50,000 dollars, that figure drops to just 19 percent. Across all workers, only about a third expect AI to improve their working lives at all. The split runs along familiar lines. White-collar employees are more likely to actually use AI tools day to day, while blue-collar workers are more exposed to the version of automation that replaces tasks rather than assisting them. The survey also found that Black workers voiced greater concern about being replaced than white workers did. Groundwork's director framed the results bluntly, calling AI just another class divide for the American public. That framing matters because so much of the public conversation treats AI as a single technology that lifts everyone. This data suggests the lived experience is splitting in two, with higher earners seeing a productivity boost and lower earners bracing for displacement.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: Semafor · Published Tuesday, August 4, 2026_

## Wortins' read

A new poll from the Groundwork Collaborative and Ipsos puts a number on something many workers already feel: optimism about AI at work tracks closely with income. Among Americans earning six figures or more, 40 percent expect AI to make their jobs better. Among those earning under 50,000 dollars, that figure drops to just 19 percent. Across all workers, only about a third expect AI to improve their working lives at all. The split runs along familiar lines. White-collar employees are more likely to actually use AI tools day to day, while blue-collar workers are more exposed to the version of automation that replaces tasks rather than assisting them. The survey also found that Black workers voiced greater concern about being replaced than white workers did. Groundwork's director framed the results bluntly, calling AI just another class divide for the American public. That framing matters because so much of the public conversation treats AI as a single technology that lifts everyone. This data suggests the lived experience is splitting in two, with higher earners seeing a productivity boost and lower earners bracing for displacement.

## Source

[Read the full story at Semafor](https://www.semafor.com/article/08/03/2026/ai-exacerbates-class-divide-progressive-poll-shows)

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