AI use is surging — so why is 63% of america terrified?

pew research data indicates that while chatbot adoption has jumped to 49%, with 44% of users specifically leveraging chatgpt, public sentiment is deteriorating. 63% of respondents feel ai development is outpacing safety, and only 16% predict a positive future for the technology, contradicting the trend of increased usage. young adults aged 18-29 are the heaviest users yet the most pessimistic, with 48% expecting negative societal outcomes. these findings suggest that improved productivity is not translating into public trust, potentially emboldening policymakers to enforce aggressive ai safety regulations.