2026-04-14 14:26:49

People in the United States are becoming increasingly anxious about AI.

Over half of respondents surveyed in Stanford University’s 2026 AI Index Report say that products using the technology make them feel nervous, whilst excitement surrounding artificial intelligence has fallen in recent years.

The report noted that public opinion on AI is increasingly disconnected from the tech industry’s view as people fear that AI will harm aspects of life ranging from jobs to the economy, to elections and relationships.

The research also found that AI safety is not keeping up with the rapid technological advances, with incidents more than tripling since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT bot in 2022.

The report’s authors wrote: “Adding to this challenge, recent research found that improving one responsible AI dimension, such as safety, can degrade another, such as accuracy.”

The research continues the trend of growing negative sentiment towards AI, with polling indicating that young people are getting increasingly frustrated with the tech.

A recent Gallup poll discovered that Gen Z’s excitement about AI has decreased from 36 per cent to 22 per cent since last year, whilst anger has risen from 22 per cent to 31 per cent.

The AI backlash seemingly stems from concerns about the impact the technology could have on society.

Caroline Orr Bueno, a US-based behavioural scientist, said: “I think a lot of AI leaders are just out of touch with normal people and don’t realise that fears of skynet are not what is primarily driving anti-AI sentiment.

“That exists, obviously, but most people are way more concerned with their paycheque and the cost of utilities.”

Anger surrounding AI has seen escalating action taken against the firms developing the technology.

Online groups calling for AI development to be put on hold have soared in popularity over recent months, whilst the California home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was allegedly targeted in separate incidents involving a Molotov cocktail and a firearm in recent days.

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