AI sentiment is turning sour as employee reviews reveal growing frustration across the workforce

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A Glassdoor analysis covering June 2025 through May 2026 reveals that U.S. worker sentiment toward workplace AI has inverted, with positive mentions falling to 43% and negative climbing to 53% — a complete reversal from 2019's 81% positivity rate. AI mentions in U.S. reviews jumped 240% year-over-year from May 2025 to May 2026, now appearing in more than 2.3% of all reviews. The data exposes sharp divides by role and demographics. Executives and managers remain broadly optimistic while insurance claims adjusters report 98% negative sentiment and journalists 81% negative. Software engineers skew 57% negative despite being technically adjacent to AI. Gen Z women are the most skeptical group, with only 21% of their AI comments positive. Workers' complaints go well beyond job displacement. Forced adoption of buggy tools, surveillance systems, and unrealistic productivity targets are recurring themes. Job loss fears account for only 20% of negative comments. Only two patterns generate positive reviews: workers at AI-benefiting companies (44%) and those whose employers provide genuine tooling and training (41%). The volume of AI mentions now appears across nearly all industries regardless of actual automation exposure — roles like butchers or electricians barely mention the topic, but once a job hits moderate AI exposure, the conversation follows. This suggests the workforce is broadly aware of and processing AI's presence in ways that vary sharply by role, gender, and generation.