- Only 1% of laid-off workers said AI or automation was the primary reason they lost their job.
- Layoffs were concentrated among technology and fully remote workers.
- Workers who regularly use AI tools were less likely to be laid off.
Mass layoffs across the technology sector have often been linked to the rise of artificial intelligence, fueling concerns that machines are increasingly replacing people. But new data suggests that, for now, AI is rarely the reason workers say they lost their jobs.
According to a Gallup survey of more than 23,000 U.S. employees conducted between February 4 and 19, 2026, only 1% of workers who are currently unemployed because of a layoff said AI or automation was the primary reason they were let go.
The finding challenges one of the most common assumptions surrounding the current wave of workforce reductions. While AI is changing how work gets done, workers rarely identify it as the reason they lost their jobs.
At the same time, Gallup found something even more surprising: workers who regularly use AI tools were less represented among laid-off workers than those who rarely or never use them.
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