AI usage is surging — yet optimism just hit a record low
a new pew research study shows only 16% of americans believe ai will benefit society in the next 20 years, signaling a massive trust gap for tech companies.
pew research data reveals a sharp disconnect between ai adoption and public sentiment, with only 16% of americans optimistic about ai's long-term societal role compared to 40% who expect harm. adoption is accelerating, specifically for openai's chatgpt which has doubled in usage to 44% since 2023, followed by google's gemini at 24% and microsoft's copilot at 17%. the survey highlights profound distrust in oversight, with 67% doubting government regulation efficacy and 59% distrusting corporate developers. additionally, younger generations under 30 are surprisingly more pessimistic than older groups, and two-thirds of respondents believe ai development is moving too fast.