New technology has workers spooked, but experts say it’s creating an opening for a resurgence in worker power
In 2026, it’s a scary time to work for a living.
Gone are the days of quiet quitting, the Great Resignation, and the highly visible union-organizing battles that began the decade and signaled that perhaps worker power was on the rise again in the US. Instead, much of that momentum is being crowded out of our minds by anxieties: a worsening affordability crisis, geopolitical instability, and the specter of artificial intelligence looming over the workplace.
For the tech CEOs leading the AI race and enriching themselves as they jostle for dominance, AI isn’t a phantasm at all, but a glimmering unicorn. When they predict AI is just months away from being able to do everything a software engineer does, or that it will one day take over CEOs’ jobs, their excitement for the future is palpable. For the rest of us, it’s hard to feel confident in their offhand remarks about how “some jobs will be obsolete, but many jobs will be created”. A 2025 Pew survey found that “64% of the public thinks AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next 20 years”, which is probably why only 17% of Americans say AI will have a positive effect on the US over the same time period.
