U.S. employers are shifting their regulatory worries toward artificial intelligence and data privacy according to law firm Littler Mendelson’s annual employer survey.
Littler’s 14th Annual Employer Survey shows AI concerns increasing even as immigration enforcement and workplace accommodation demands continue to strain HR departments.
Conducted in March, they survey of more than 300 C-suite executives, in-house lawyers, and HR professionals, found that 84% of respondents expect AI-related policy or regulatory changes to affect their business over the next year.
That’s double the share who said the same in 2025, when diversity, equity and inclusion topped the list of concerns.
Data privacy concerns rose alongside AI, with 53% of employers anticipating workplace impacts, up from 31% a year earlier.
By contrast, worry about immigration policy fell sharply, with 49% of employers expecting business impacts this year compared with 75% in 2025.
DEI-related concern dropped even more steeply, to 38% from 84%.
Littler researchers said the declines likely reflect employers adapting to the current enforcement environment rather than the issues fading in importance.
Seventy-three percent of respondents still expect immigration enforcement by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to impact workplaces this year.
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