Monitor Digital Working Society – Brief report on the fourth wave of surveys: AI is becoming increasingly embedded in everyday work: Rising usage, greater degrees of autonomy and growing concerns

This brief report presents key findings from the last of four representative survey waves of the Monitor Digital Working Society, conducted as part of the research project Opinion Monitor Artificial Intelligence 3.0. The analysis is based on responses from 1,607 participants surveyed in July 2026, including 915 employed and 692 non-employed respondents. At the end of the survey series, interest in AI has returned to the elevated level observed in summer 2025 following an interim decline, while respondents’ self-assessed knowledge remains stable at a higher level than in the first wave. At the same time, assessments of the societal consequences of AI have become more critical: fewer respondents believe that the benefits outweigh the risks, while risk-oriented and ambivalent assessments have become more prevalent. In the workplace, the risk–benefit assessment of AI for respondents’ own occupations remains stable and slightly benefit-oriented. Evaluations of specific working conditions have become somewhat more positive, while personal job insecurity has increased noticeably. Most strikingly, occupational AI use has risen to the highest level recorded across the survey series. Growth is particularly pronounced for generative, recommendation-based, analytical, and decision-related functions. Employees also report greater freedom of use, decision-making authority, and opportunities to participate in shaping AI use, although a majority still have no influence over the introduction of AI in their workplace. Overall, the findings point to an ongoing normalization of AI: as its use becomes more widespread, both its concrete benefits and associated scope for action, as well as potential risks for employment and society, are becoming more visible and are assessed in increasingly differentiated ways.