AI public trust weakens as Pew finds broad doubt over safety and regulation
AI public trust is under fresh pressure after a new Pew Research Center survey found that only 16% of U.S. adults think artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on society over the next 20 years. The finding, also reported by TechCrunch, points to a widening gap between AI adoption and public confidence.
According to Pew, 40% of Americans expect AI to have a negative impact on society, while 31% expect an equally positive and negative effect. The survey of 5,119 U.S. adults was conducted from February 17 to 23, 2026. That timing matters because consumer AI tools are no longer new, and many Americans have already formed views after using chatbots, AI search summaries and smart devices.
The data shows that AI public trust is not rising at the same pace as use. Pew found that 49% of U.S. adults now use AI chatbots, up from 33% in 2024. About 24% use them daily. ChatGPT remains the most widely used product, with 44% of adults saying they have used it, followed by Google Gemini at 24%, Microsoft Copilot at 17%, Meta AI at 14%, Grok at 8%, Claude at 6% and Character.ai at 3%.
That adoption gives AI companies a positive case to make. Pew found that 30% of adults say chatbots help their productivity, while 28% say they help them stay informed. OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic have all argued that large language models can support work, research, coding and everyday tasks. The AI Decode has also covered how ChatGPT app integrations are pushing AI deeper into daily workflows.
But the same Pew report shows why AI public trust remains fragile. About 63% of Americans say AI is advancing too quickly. Pew also found that 67% have little or no confidence in the U.S. government to regulate AI effectively, and 59% are not confident that U.S. companies will develop and use AI responsibly.
Young adults are not the simple pro-AI group that many companies may expect. Pew found that adults under 30 are more likely than older adults to use AI, but 48% of them expect AI to have a negative impact on society. That makes the next phase harder for companies selling AI models to consumers, schools and workplaces.
The issue now is not only whether AI tools become more capable. It is whether companies and regulators can show that AI public trust deserves to rise as the technology spreads.
