A new joint survey from Bentley University and Gallup finds that Americans increasingly regard artificial intelligence (AI) as capable of human-comparable performance in some tasks, while their trust in the technology and their belief that it will improve their lives are declining.
The study, which has tracked public attitudes toward AI since 2023, identifies several clear trends.
Awareness and perceptions of AI performance
A growing share of respondents say they feel informed about AI: seven in ten (70%) described themselves as somewhat or very informed, up from 64% last year. More people now believe AI performs as well as or better than humans in certain areas, such as financial advice and helping students with homework.
Perceptions of AI have also improved for applications like driving and medical advice, although human recommendations still receive higher levels of trust in those domains.
Declining trust and rising pessimism about benefits
The survey finds increasing skepticism about whether AI does more good than harm: 39% of respondents now say AI causes more harm than good, compared with 31% in 2025. Pessimism has risen sharply among 18–29 year olds — from 27% in 2024 and 36% in 2025 to 47% in the latest survey.
Overall, 52% of respondents say AI produces about as much good as harm, while only 9% believe AI does more good than harm.
Eroding confidence in companies’ use of AI
Public confidence that companies will use AI responsibly has weakened: nearly three-quarters of respondents said they “not too much” or “not at all” trust companies to deploy AI responsibly. Among young adults (18–29) this distrust is even higher, with four in five expressing little or no trust.
Republicans remain the most optimistic political group about corporate AI use, but their confidence has slipped as well: roughly 35% of self-identified Republicans expressed some or a lot of trust in companies to use AI responsibly, down from 41% in 2025.
Concerns about jobs
A large majority — 79% — of respondents expect AI to reduce the total number of jobs, the highest level recorded in the four years of the survey. Concern is strongest among middle-aged adults: 84% of those aged 45–59 believe AI will cut the number of jobs, up from 75% in 2025.
Implications
Early AI optimists argued that broader use would breed acceptance, but the survey’s findings suggest the opposite: increased knowledge and exposure to AI correspond with growing skepticism and diminished trust, especially regarding corporate responsibility and employment impacts. The Bentley University and Gallup results indicate that although perceptions of AI’s capabilities have risen, social and economic worries continue to shape public opinion.
The findings come from the joint Bentley University and Gallup survey.
