An Edelman survey of 5,000 people found residents in China and Brazil are significantly more open to adopting AI than those in the US, UK and Germany — a pattern consistent across age groups. Respondents in Brazil and China were likelier to expect AI to help with environmental, mental-health and financial challenges. The report also found 79% of Chinese respondents feel generative AI is being "forced" on them versus 59% of Americans. The gap suggests U.S. employers may need to incentivize adoption to help maintain the country’s tech advantage.
China and Brazil More Open to AI Than Americans — Survey Highlights U.S. Adoption Gap
An Edelman survey of 5,000 people found residents in China and Brazil are significantly more open to adopting AI than those in the US, UK and Germany — a pattern consistent across age groups. Respondents in Brazil and China were likelier to expect AI to help with environmental, mental-health and financial challenges. The report also found 79% of Chinese respondents feel generative AI is being "forced" on them versus 59% of Americans. The gap suggests U.S. employers may need to incentivize adoption to help maintain the country’s tech advantage.
05:58 AM, 11/20/2025Technology
A survey of 5,000 people conducted by PR firm Edelman found that residents of China and Brazil are markedly more willing to adopt artificial intelligence than respondents in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. That pattern held across all age groups, suggesting cultural and market differences rather than a purely generational effect.
People in Brazil and China were more likely than those in the U.S., U.K. and Germany to expect AI to help address environmental challenges, mental-health needs and financial problems. At the same time, perceptions of pressure to use AI vary widely: 79% of Chinese respondents said generative AI felt like it was being "forced" on them, compared with 59% of Americans.
Some critics argue that stronger anti-AI sentiment in the United States is partly driven by well-funded lobbying campaigns opposing the technology; others point to concerns about privacy, job displacement and safety standards. Whatever the mix of causes, lower willingness to adopt AI at home could limit the domestic market for U.S.-developed systems even if the country leads in research and development.
Implications
The adoption gap suggests U.S. companies may need to do more than produce advanced models. To increase uptake, firms should clearly demonstrate benefits, address safety and privacy concerns, and consider incentives or training that make adoption easier for workers and consumers. Thoughtful, transparent deployment may be necessary to bridge the gap and sustain a competitive edge.
Key stat: 79% of Chinese respondents vs 59% of Americans say generative AI is being "forced" on them.