Surveys show a widening gap between AI business push and public trust

In short: Companies keep pushing AI into products and services, but many surveys show the public is still cautious and often more worried than excited.

What's going on

Businesses talk about AI as the next big upgrade, and many are trying to add it everywhere. But public opinion looks very different, especially in the United States. One set of survey results says 95% of US adults have heard at least some about AI, yet about half say they feel more concerned than excited about AI becoming part of daily life.

Many people also think the risks are bigger than the benefits. In one US survey, 57% rated AI’s risks to society as high, while 25% said the same for benefits. Common worries include people losing skills and creativity, relationships getting worse, and technology making inequality worse.

Views depend a lot on where you live and how much you use AI. Frequent users tend to feel much more positive than people who rarely use it, or never use it. Recent voter polling in 2026 also shows the public is split, with about as many people viewing AI favorably as unfavorably.

Concerns also change depending on the use case, meaning what AI is being used for. People know more about visible examples like driverless cars and facial recognition, but far fewer have heard about AI used for welfare decisions (deciding who qualifies for benefits). In the UK, concern rose across most tracked AI uses, including a jump in worry about using AI for welfare eligibility.

What to watch

This gap could shape what happens next, from stricter rules to slower rollouts in sensitive areas like hiring, policing, and public benefits. A key question is whether trust rises as more people use AI tools regularly, or whether high-profile mistakes, scams, and political deepfakes (fake but realistic video or audio) make people even more cautious.

Source: The Verge AI