A new study from Pew Research indicates that despite artificial intelligence increasingly dominating the economy, characterized by a summer of significant IPOs, most Americans are not particularly optimistic about the technology’s long-term impact on the country.
The research reveals that even though a substantial number of Americans are integrating AI into their daily lives, the majority hold neutral to negative views regarding its implications.
Only 16 percent of Americans anticipate a positive societal impact from AI over the next two decades, according to Pew, while approximately 40 percent predict a negative influence.
Public skepticism extends to regulatory oversight, with a vast majority (67 percent) doubting the U.S. government's ability to meaningfully regulate AI. A similarly skeptical cohort (59 percent) expresses a lack of trust in companies to develop the technology safely.
Younger individuals, specifically those under 30, exhibit the most pronounced negative sentiments towards AI. Pew reports that only 14 percent of this demographic believe the technology will have a positive impact on society.
Furthermore, a significant majority of Americans—nearly two-thirds—also perceive that AI’s development is progressing too rapidly.
Paradoxically, despite this widespread skepticism, a considerable number of Americans report using AI in their daily routines with increasing regularity. About a quarter of Americans state they use AI chatbots daily, typically for research purposes or work, as per Pew’s findings.
Among AI users, ChatGPT is the most prevalent platform. Pew notes that 44 percent of U.S. adults now report using OpenAI’s chatbot, a figure that has more than doubled since 2023.
Following ChatGPT, Gemini is the next most popular chatbot at 24 percent usage, trailed by Copilot (17 percent) and MetaAI (14 percent). Grok (8 percent), Claude (6 percent), and Character.ai (3 percent) show comparatively lower adoption rates.
A notable gender divide exists in AI adoption. While chatbot use is growing for both men and women, men tend to use AI more frequently and with greater enthusiasm, whereas women are generally more skeptical. Men are more likely to report daily AI chatbot use (27 percent compared to 20 percent for women), and while both genders report equal use of ChatGPT, men more commonly use other brands such as Copilot and Grok.
The report also highlights AI's transformative influence on how Americans consume information. Six in ten survey respondents indicated that they routinely read AI-generated internet summaries, which are increasingly ubiquitous on platforms like Google. A much smaller proportion, however, utilizes AI for information related to fitness and dieting.
Despite growing adoption, approximately half of the country’s population still reports not using AI in their daily lives. Non-users tend to be older, while individuals under 50 are more inclined to use it. Nearly 75 percent of Americans aged 65 or older state they never use AI chatbots.
Those who do not use chatbots commonly attribute their abstinence to a lack of interest and express no intention of adopting these technologies in the future.
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