Americans increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to finish research papers, write emails, and analyze data. However, a new poll published on Monday by Quinnipiac University shows a strange reality. People use these digital tools every day, but they absolutely do not trust them. Researchers surveyed nearly 1,400 Americans and found a massive gap between technology adoption and public confidence.
The numbers reveal a deep sense of suspicion. According to the data, 76.0% of respondents rarely or only sometimes trust artificial intelligence. In contrast, a mere 21.0% trust the technology most of the time. Even with this heavy skepticism, widespread adoption continues to climb rapidly. Only 27.0% of people report never having used these tools, a noticeable drop from the 33.0% reported in April 2025.
Chetan Jaiswal, a computer science professor at the university, pointed out this striking contradiction. He noted that 51.0% of users rely on the technology for research and data analysis. People clearly adopt the software to make their work easier, but they do so with deep hesitation rather than genuine faith in the results.
A strong sense of dread about the future drives this lack of trust: the survey found that only 6.0% of people feel very excited about the direction of technology. Meanwhile, 62.0% feel no excitement at all. When researchers asked about overall concern, 80.0% of Americans admitted they worry a great deal about what comes next. Millennials and Baby Boomers lead the pack as the most worried groups, while Generation Z follows closely behind.
Over half the country expects negative outcomes. Exactly 55.0% of people believe artificial intelligence will cause more harm than good in their daily lives. Only 33.0% see a positive future. Public opinion soured significantly over the past year. High-profile tech company layoffs, scary stories of software acting erratically, and massive power demands from new data centers all damaged the industry’s overall reputation.
This public pushback directly affects local communities. Around 65.0% of respondents completely oppose building new data centers in their own towns. Citizens cite high electricity costs and heavy water use as their main reasons for rejecting these large-scale construction projects. They simply do not want the financial or environmental burden placed on their neighborhoods.
The labor market faces the biggest wave of fear. A solid 70.0% of Americans think technological advancements will permanently destroy job opportunities. Only 7.0% believe the industry will create new roles. This marks a sharp negative shift from last year, when 56.0% expected job losses and 13.0% anticipated job growth. Young adults in Generation Z feel the most pessimistic, with 81.0% predicting a rapidly shrinking labor market.
These fears align perfectly with current economic data. Entry-level job postings in the United States have plummeted by 35.0% since 2023. Top executives, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, openly warn that the software will eliminate human jobs. Tamilla Triantoro, a business analytics professor, explained that young people understand the tools best but feel the absolute worst about their future careers.
Oddly enough, people feel much safer about their own specific paychecks. While the public expects massive widespread unemployment, only 30.0% of employed Americans worry that software will make their specific job obsolete. This number did jump from 21.0% last year, but it remains surprisingly low. People easily predict a terrible job market for others, but they refuse to picture themselves losing their own income.
Corporate secrecy only makes the entire situation worse. Nearly 66.6% of people say technology businesses hide the truth about how they operate. The same percentage believes the government fails to regulate the industry properly. While state leaders fight to create local rules, federal officials under the Trump administration push for a much lighter touch. Ultimately, Americans demand transparency and clear rules before they will ever trust the machines running their daily lives.
