Workers are becoming markedly less positive about artificial intelligence on the job, according to a Glassdoor analysis of employer reviews. The share of AI-related comments classified as positive fell from 81% in 2019 to 43% in 2026, even as mentions of AI in US reviews jumped 240% between May 2025 and May 2026.
Attitudes vary sharply by role. Executives are the most favorable group, while 57% of comments from software engineers lean negative. Insurance claims workers are almost entirely critical, often describing buggy tools imposed by management. Writers, accountants and customer-service representatives also skew negative by roughly four to one.
Fear of losing a job is the most common complaint, but it represents only 20% of negative comments. Forced adoption accounts for 14%, while 13% describe AI as a distraction or a source of poorer customer experiences. Other reviews cite workplace surveillance, automated management messages and productivity targets that do not reflect how the tools actually perform.
The pattern suggests that access alone does not produce acceptance. Positive reviews most often came from employees whose companies benefit directly from the AI boom or from workplaces that supplied useful tools, training and support.