A new Quinnipiac University poll says Americans are bringing AI into the daily routine—research, writing, school/work projects, and data analysis—but they’re keeping one hand on the eject button. Among nearly 1,400 respondents, 76% say they trust AI “rarely” or “only sometimes,” while just 21% trust it “most” or “almost all of the time.” Adoption is moving the other direction: the share who’ve never used AI tools fell to 27%, down from 33% in April 2025. As Quinnipiac’s Chetan Jaiswal put it: “The contradiction between use and trust of AI is striking.”
The vibes are also… not exactly launch-party energy. Only 6% say they’re “very excited” about AI, while 62% are not so excited (or not at all), and 80% are somewhat or very concerned. 55% think AI will do more harm than good in their day-to-day lives, versus about a third who say the opposite. Resistance shows up in infrastructure too: 65% oppose building AI data centers in their communities, largely over electricity costs and water use.
Jobs are where the anxiety spikes: 70% think AI will reduce job opportunities (up from 56% last year), and only 7% think it will increase them (down from 13%). Gen Z is the gloomiest here, with 81% predicting fewer jobs; the note also cites a 35% drop in U.S. entry-level job postings since 2023. Yet personally, most employed people aren’t fully convinced the robot is coming for *their* desk—30% worry AI could make their job obsolete, up from 21% last year. Underneath it all is a trust gap aimed squarely at institutions: two-thirds say businesses aren’t transparent enough about AI use, and the same share says government isn’t regulating it enough—an awkward combo if you’re trying to sell AI-powered anything to consumers who already suspect the fine print.
Read more at TechCrunch.