AI Job Fears Run High Among LA Entertainment Workers: USC Survey

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles County entertainment workers are reporting greater financial strain and more anxiety about losing their jobs to artificial intelligence than workers in most other industries, according to a USC survey released this week.

About 59% of entertainment workers said they expect AI to eliminate more jobs like theirs than it creates, compared with 36% of workers in other industries, according to USC’s LABarometer survey.

Entertainment workers also estimated a higher personal risk of losing their jobs to AI within the next five years. They placed that risk at 30%, compared with 21% among workers outside the industry.

Researchers found that concern about AI-related job losses was higher in entertainment than in nearly every other Los Angeles County industry. Only workers in administrative and waste management services reported comparable levels of anxiety.

The findings come as entertainment workers continue to face economic pressure.

About 31% of entertainment workers said their income had increased during the previous year, compared with 39% of workers in other industries.

More than half of entertainment workers, 52%, said they were dissatisfied with their finances. That compared with 30% of workers in other fields.

The entertainment category included workers in film, television, radio, gaming and related industries.

USC based the findings on responses from its LABarometer survey and other surveys conducted through the Understanding America Study. The LABarometer survey included 1,280 Los Angeles County residents and was conducted from Feb. 20 through May 10.

The survey also revealed Angelenos remain wary of driverless cars like Waymo.