Americans are increasingly using artificial intelligence to assist with research, writing, school and work projects, data analysis, and more, but they aren’t necessarily satisfied with it.
Despite the increased use and adoption of AI, Americans still lack trust in new tools, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday. Of the nearly 1,400 Americans surveyed, more than three-quarters said they don’t trust AI, with 76% saying they rarely or only occasionally trust AI, while just 21% said they trust AI most of the time or almost always.
This is even more so even as more Americans are incorporating AI into their daily lives. Just 27% say they have never used an AI tool, down from 33% in April 2025.
“The conflict between the use of AI and trust is striking,” said Chetan Jaiswal, a computer science professor at Quinnipiac University. “51% say they use AI for research, and many also use AI for writing, work, and data analysis. But only 21% trust the information AI produces most or almost all of the time. Americans are clearly embracing AI, but rather than deeply trusting it, they are doing so with deep hesitation.”
Part of that lack of trust may stem from fear about the future that AI brings. The poll found that only 6% of people were “very excited” about AI, and 62% were not very excited or not at all excited. When we talk about concerns, these numbers basically flip. 80% are very concerned or somewhat concerned about AI, with Millennials and Baby Boomers ranking as the most concerned, followed by Gen Z.
The poll found that half (55%) say AI will do more harm than good in their daily lives, but only a third say it will do more good than harm. Researchers say more people have negative views about AI compared to last year’s survey, which may not be surprising after a year of layoffs by Big Tech, deadly cases of AI psychosis, and data centers straining energy grids.
Americans across the board oppose the construction of AI data centers in their communities, with 65% saying they don’t want them built, primarily because of high electricity and water usage.
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A majority (70%) believe advances in AI will lead to fewer job opportunities, but only 7% believe AI will lead to increased job opportunities. This is a change from last year, when 56% of Americans thought advances in AI would lead to fewer jobs and 13% thought AI would increase job opportunities. Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2008, are the most pessimistic, with 81% expecting their employment to decline.
They don’t exactly imagine it either. Entry-level jobs in the U.S. are down 35% since 2023, and AI leaders like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei are warning that technology will eliminate jobs.
“Young Americans report being the most familiar with AI tools, but the least optimistic about the labor market,” Tamira Triantoro, a professor of business analytics and information systems at Quinnipiac University, said in a statement. “AI fluency and optimism are going in opposite directions here.”
Interestingly, even though most Americans are concerned about the impact AI will have on the labor market as a whole, most do not think AI will specifically come to their jobs. 30% of employed Americans are worried that AI will make their jobs obsolete. Still, this is an increase from 21% last year.
“Americans are more worried about how AI will affect the labor market than they are about how AI will affect their jobs,” Triantoro said. “People seem to be more willing to predict a tougher market than to imagine themselves losing out on disruption. This pattern is noteworthy as technology penetrates deeper into the workplace.”
Perhaps a big reason Americans have trust issues with AI is because they don’t trust the companies behind the technology to be telling the truth. Two-thirds of respondents said companies are not doing enough to be transparent about their use of AI. The same percentage also shows that governments are not doing enough to regulate AI. The sentiment comes as states seek to retain authority over AI regulations, even as federal officials and industry leaders advocate limits on state-level regulation under President Trump’s latest, mostly mild AI framework.
“Americans are not completely rejecting AI, but they are sounding the alarm,” Triantoro said. “There is too much job uncertainty, too little trust, too little regulation, and too much fear.”
