A new national poll shows a growing, but still limited, openness among Americans to working under artificial intelligence instead of a human boss. A Quinnipiac University survey released Monday found that “15% of Americans say they’d be willing to have a job where their direct supervisor was an AI program that assigned tasks and set schedules.” The poll, conducted from March 19 to March 23, 2026, surveyed 1,397 adults nationwide and examined public attitudes toward AI in the workplace.
Even with that curiosity, most Americans are not ready to report to a machine. Still, companies are already moving in that direction. Workday has rolled out AI tools that can handle employee expense reports, while Amazon has introduced AI-driven systems that take over parts of middle management, leading to layoffs in some departments. At Uber, engineers developed an AI version of CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to review internal pitches before they reach leadership.
These changes point to a wider workplace shift often referred to as “The Great Flattening,” where fewer human managers oversee increasingly automated systems. Some analysts believe this could eventually lead to companies operating with minimal staff.
At the same time, anxiety around AI remains high. The survey found that 70% of Americans believe AI will reduce job opportunities, while 30% of employed respondents said they are concerned their own jobs could be replaced.
