AI Charms Americans but Sparks Distrust and Fear

Growing Adoption but Wavering Trust

In the United States, artificial intelligence is increasingly infiltrating the daily lives of citizens, whether for research, writing, school or professional projects, and even data analysis. However, this adoption does not come with proportional trust. According to a recent survey conducted by Quinnipiac University, a majority of Americans remain skeptical about the results provided by AI.

The survey, which questioned nearly 1,400 people, reveals that more than three-quarters of participants, or 76%, say they trust AI only rarely or sometimes. In contrast, only 21% of respondents claim to trust it most of the time or almost always. This distrust persists despite a decrease in the number of those who have never used AI tools, dropping from 33% in April 2025 to 27% today.

A Striking Contradiction

Chetan Jaiswal, a computer science professor at Quinnipiac, highlights this contradiction between the growing use of AI and the persistent distrust among users. About 51% of respondents use AI for research, and many also employ it for writing, work, and data analysis. Yet, only 21% of users trust the information generated by these tools most of the time.

This cautious adoption of AI is accompanied by notable apprehension regarding its future. The survey indicates that only 6% of respondents describe themselves as "very enthusiastic" about AI, while 62% are not very enthusiastic or not enthusiastic at all. In contrast, 80% of respondents express some level of concern, if not significant worry, about AI, with millennials and baby boomers leading the generations most anxious, closely followed by Generation Z.

Perceived Negative Impacts

A majority of Americans, or 55%, believe that AI will cause more harm than good in their daily lives. This negative sentiment has increased compared to the previous year, a period marked by layoffs in major tech companies, incidents of AI-related psychosis, and tensions on electrical grids due to data centers.

Americans are also reluctant to see AI data centers established in their communities. About 65% of respondents oppose the construction of such centers, primarily due to high electricity costs and intensive water usage.

Employment Under Scrutiny

The impact of AI on employment is another major source of concern. According to the survey, 70% of Americans believe that advancements in AI will reduce job opportunities, compared to only 7% who think they will create more. This perception has shifted since last year, when 56% of respondents thought AI would lead to a decrease in jobs.

Generation Z, consisting of individuals born between 1997 and 2008, is particularly pessimistic, with 81% of them anticipating a reduction in jobs. This concern is not unfounded, as entry-level job postings in the United States have dropped by 35% since 2023. Leading figures in AI, such as Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, have also warned about the potential of AI to eliminate jobs.

Widespread but Personal Concern

While the majority of Americans are worried about the impact of AI on the job market in general, fewer are concerned about their own jobs. Among currently employed Americans, 30% fear that AI will make their positions obsolete, an increase from 21% the previous year.

Tamilla Triantoro, a professor of business analytics and information systems at Quinnipiac, notes that young Americans, while being the most familiar with AI tools, are also the least optimistic about their professional futures. This dichotomy between proficiency in AI and optimism regarding the job market could influence how the technology is perceived and adopted in the future.

A Need for Transparency and Regulation

Distrust in AI may also be fueled by a lack of transparency from the companies developing these technologies. Two-thirds of respondents believe that companies are not sufficiently transparent about their use of AI. Additionally, a similar percentage thinks that the government is not doing enough to regulate this technology.

This sentiment of distrust emerges as the United States attempts to maintain its authority over AI regulation, despite calls from federal officials and industry leaders to limit regulation at the state level. Tamilla Triantoro concludes that Americans are not outright rejecting AI, but they are sending a clear warning: too much uncertainty, too little trust, and insufficient regulation are fueling their fears, particularly regarding employment.