Americans are losing faith in AI: only 16% see it as positive, while 40% expect negative consequences.
A survey of 5,119 American adults revealed a sharp decline in optimism about artificial intelligence. Only 16% of respondents expect AI to have a positive impact on society, while about 40% are pessimistic, predicting negative consequences. These figures highlight growing public skepticism, which is especially noticeable against the backdrop of the active integration of neural networks into everyday life.
Distrust of Regulators and Businesses
A key finding is deep dissatisfaction with the actions of authorities and corporations. 67% of respondents do not believe the U.S. government is capable of effectively regulating AI. Another 59% express distrust of development companies. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (about 65%) believe that the pace of AI development is too fast, increasing public anxiety.
Political Divide and Generational Shift
The strongest skepticism is shown by young Democratic voters under 30: only 14% of them expect a positive impact from AI. This indicates that even among traditionally progressive groups, wariness is growing. At the same time, researchers note a paradoxical increase in the use of neural networks: about a quarter of Americans use chatbots daily. ChatGPT remains the leader with 44% of users (more than doubling since 2023), followed by Gemini (24%), Copilot (17%), and Meta AI (14%).
Trend Toward Pessimism
These figures are consistent with earlier measurements. In May 2025, a joint study by Reuters and Ipsos showed that 61% of Americans consider AI a threat to humanity. YouGov analysts also note a worsening of sentiment: while in January 2025 optimists and pessimists were roughly equal (35% vs. 34%), by May 2026 the gap had widened to 25% vs. 51% in favor of pessimists.
My Analysis: The cryptocurrency and blockchain market, which actively uses AI for data analysis and automation, should take this societal shift into account. The decline in trust in AI could lead to increased regulation not only in the field of neural networks but also in related technologies, including decentralized projects. Investors should closely monitor legislative initiatives that may limit the use of AI in the crypto industry.