Gallup's latest poll finds that while 70% of Americans say they feel knowledgeable about AI, skepticism is rising: 39% now believe AI does more harm than good. Trust in businesses to use AI responsibly has fallen to 27%, and 79% expect AI to reduce U.S. jobs over the next decade. Young adults (18–29) show the sharpest shifts in perception and trust.
Gallup: As Americans Learn More About AI, Skepticism Grows
The More Americans Know About AI, the Less They Like It: Gallup
Gallup reported Tuesday that Americans are becoming more wary of artificial intelligence after two years in which public comfort with the technology had been rising. Higher familiarity with AI appears to be accompanied by growing concern about its effects on jobs, trust in businesses, and whether the technology does more harm than good.
Key Findings
Familiarity Is Up: Seven in 10 Americans (70%) now say they are somewhat or extremely knowledgeable about AI, up from 64% in 2024.
Perception Has Shifted: Currently, 39% of Americans say AI does more harm than good, an increase from 31% in 2025. Just 9% say AI does more good than harm, while 52% say it produces about equal amounts of harm and benefit.
Young Adults Lead the Shift: The change was most pronounced among adults aged 18 to 29. Nearly half of that group now says AI does more harm than good (up from 36% the previous year). Younger adults also grew more skeptical of AI's broader effects, companies' use of the technology, and its impact on jobs.
Trust In Businesses Has Fallen: Overall, 27% of Americans say they trust businesses at least "some" to use AI responsibly, down from 31% in 2025. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, trust dropped from 30% to 20%, while the share reporting no trust at all rose from 29% to 41%.
Job Concerns Intensify: Nearly eight in 10 Americans (79%) now expect AI to reduce the number of U.S. jobs over the next decade, up from 73% in 2025. The biggest increases were among 18- to 29-year-olds (62% → 75%) and 45- to 59-year-olds (75% → 84%).
How People Compare AI And Humans
Gallup found the public increasingly sees AI as performing similarly to people on tasks such as driving and offering financial or medical advice. Even so, respondents still rated humans higher than AI across every category measured, including hiring decisions, creative work, and helping students with schoolwork.
Context From Other Polls
The report echoes other recent surveys showing persistent unease about AI despite growing use. An NBC News poll in March found 56% of Americans had recently used AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini, yet 57% said the technology's risks outweigh its benefits. In June, an Anthropic survey of nearly 52,000 Americans found job losses were the public's top concern and that only 15% trust AI companies to decide how the technology should be developed and used.
Bottom line: Familiarity with AI is rising, but so is skepticism—especially among younger adults—and concerns about jobs and corporate stewardship are increasing.
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