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The Age Of Artificial Intelligence: Americans' AI Use Increases While Views On It Sour, Quinnipiac University Poll On AI Finds; 7 In 10 Think AI Will Cut Jobs With Gen Z The Most Pessimistic

As artificial intelligence continues to leap from concept to reality in just about everything we do, an increasing number of Americans see more harm than good when it comes to AI's impact on their daily lives and education and they are divided about its impact on health care. Trust in AI remains low. A slight majority say the pace of AI's development is faster than they expected and there is more concern than excitement about AI. Those concerns are apparent in views related to AI's use in the workforce, politics, the military, and AI data centers. These are among the findings in a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll of adults released today examining attitudes about artificial intelligence. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Quinnipiac University School of Computing & Engineering and the Quinnipiac University School of Business.

AI USE

Americans were given a list of eight activities, some of which were included in Quinnipiac University's April 16, 2025 poll on AI, and asked whether they have used AI tools for:

  • Researching topics they are curious about: 51 percent say yes, up from 37 percent in April 2025;
  • Writing something for them: 28 percent say yes;
  • School or work projects: 27 percent say yes, while 24 percent said yes in April 2025;
  • Analyzing data: 27 percent say yes, up from 17 percent in April 2025;
  • Creating images: 24 percent say yes; up from 16 percent in April 2025;
  • Medical advice: 20 percent say yes;
  • Personal advice: 15 percent say yes;
  • Companionship: 5 percent say yes.

Twenty-seven percent of Americans volunteered that they have never used AI tools, down from 33 percent in April 2025.

TRUST

When Americans were asked how much of the time they think they can trust the information generated by AI, 76 percent think they can trust AI either hardly ever (27 percent) or only some of the time (49 percent), while 21 percent think they can trust AI either most of the time (18 percent) or almost all of the time (3 percent). This is largely unchanged from Quinnipiac University's April 2025 poll.

"The contradiction between use and trust of AI is striking. Fifty-one percent say they use AI for research, and many also use it for writing, work, and data analysis. But only 21 percent trust AI-generated information most or almost all of the time. Americans are clearly adopting AI, but they are doing so with deep hesitation, not deep trust," said Chetan Jaiswal, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science and Associate Chair, Department of Computing, Quinnipiac University School of Computing and Engineering.

EXCITEMENT & CONCERN

Just over one-third of Americans (35 percent) are either very excited (6 percent) or somewhat excited (29 percent) about AI, while 62 percent are either not so excited (29 percent) or not excited at all (33 percent).

Eighty percent are either very concerned (38 percent) or somewhat concerned (42 percent) about AI, while 18 percent are either not so concerned (10 percent) or not concerned at all (8 percent).

High levels of concern are expressed across all age groups:

  • Gen Z (1997 - 2008): very concerned (35 percent), somewhat concerned (43 percent), not so concerned (14 percent), and not concerned at all (7 percent);
  • Millennials (1981 - 1996): very concerned (39 percent), somewhat concerned (42 percent), not so concerned (7 percent), and not concerned at all (10 percent);
  • Gen X (1965 - 1980): very concerned (36 percent), somewhat concerned (43 percent), not so concerned (8 percent), and not concerned at all (10 percent);
  • Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964): very concerned (39 percent), somewhat concerned (43 percent), not so concerned (10 percent), and not concerned at all (6 percent);
  • Silent Generation (1928 - 1945): very concerned (31 percent), somewhat concerned (41 percent), not so concerned (15 percent), and not concerned at all (8 percent).

PACE

Fifty-one percent of Americans say the pace of AI development is moving faster than they expected, 38 percent say it is moving about as fast as they expected, and 8 percent say it is moving not as fast as they expected.

IMPACT

Fifty-five percent of Americans think AI will do more harm than good in their day-to-day lives, while 34 percent think AI will do more good than harm, with 11 percent not offering an opinion.

This compares to April 2025 when 44 percent thought AI would do more harm than good in their day-to- day lives and 38 percent thought AI would do more good than harm, with 18 percent not offering an opinion.

When Americans were asked how much they think their day-to-day lives are currently impacted by AI, two in ten (21 percent) think a lot, 29 percent think some, 30 percent think only a little, and 17 percent think their day-to-day lives are not impacted at all by AI. This is largely unchanged from April 2025.

When it comes to education, nearly two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) think AI will do more harm than good, while 27 percent think AI will do more good than harm.

This compares to April 2025 when 54 percent thought AI would do more harm than good and 32 percent thought AI would do more good than harm.

When it comes to health care, 45 percent of Americans think AI will do more harm than good, while 43 percent think AI will do more good than harm.

HEALTH CARE: HUMAN VS. AI

Americans were asked if it were proven that an AI tool is more accurate than a human in reading medical scans, would they prefer to rely solely on information provided by AI, solely on information provided by a human, or a combination of both AI and a human.

An overwhelming majority (81 percent) say they would prefer to rely on a combination of both AI and a human, 14 percent say they would prefer to rely solely on information provided by a human, and 3 percent say they would prefer to rely solely on information provided by AI.

"It's telling that most people would still want a human involved in reading medical scans even if it were proven that the AI tool was more accurate. This desire for a 'second opinion' from a human being, even if proven they aren't as accurate as AI, reflects the lack of trust in AI that we see throughout the poll." said Brian O'Neill, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science and Associate Dean, Quinnipiac University School of Computing and Engineering.

JOBS OUTLOOK

Seventy percent of Americans think advancements in AI are likely to lead to a decrease in the number of job opportunities for people, 7 percent think they are likely to lead to an increase, and 18 percent think advancements in AI will not make much of a difference.

In April 2025, 56 percent of Americans thought advancements in AI were likely to lead to a decrease in the number of job opportunities for people, 13 percent thought they were likely to lead to an increase, and 24 percent thought advancements in AI would not make much of a difference.

In today's poll, there are differences between age groups regarding how Americans think advancements in AI are likely to affect the number of job opportunities for people:

  • Gen Z (1997 - 2008): decrease (81 percent), increase (4 percent), and not make much of a difference (12 percent);
  • Millennials (1981 - 1996): decrease (71 percent), increase (6 percent), and not make much of a difference (20 percent);
  • Gen X (1965 - 1980): decrease (67 percent), increase (7 percent), and not make much of a difference (20 percent);
  • Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964): decrease (66 percent), increase (10 percent), and not make much of a difference (20 percent);
  • Silent Generation (1928 - 1945): decrease (57 percent), increase (13 percent), and not make much of a difference (20 percent).

Among Americans who are employed, 71 percent of white-collar workers and 73 percent of blue-collar workers think advancements in AI are likely to lead to a decrease in the number of job opportunities for people.

"Younger Americans report the highest familiarity with AI tools, but they are also the least optimistic about the labor market. AI fluency and optimism here are moving in opposite directions," said Tamilla Triantoro, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Business Analytics and Information Systems, Quinnipiac University School of Business.

Among Americans who are employed, 30 percent are either very concerned (10 percent) or somewhat concerned (20 percent) that artificial intelligence may make their jobs obsolete, while nearly 7 in 10 Americans (69 percent) are either not so concerned (21 percent) or not concerned at all (48 percent).

This compares to April 2025 when 21 percent of employed Americans were either very concerned (6 percent) or somewhat concerned (15 percent) that AI might make their jobs obsolete and 78 percent were either not so concerned (22 percent) or not concerned at all (56 percent).

"Americans are more worried about what AI may do to the labor market than about what it may do to their own jobs. People seem more willing to predict a tougher market than to picture themselves on the losing end of that disruption - a pattern worth watching as the technology moves deeper into the workplace," added Triantoro.

AI AS A SUPERVISOR

Eighty percent of Americans would be unwilling to have a job where their direct supervisor was an AI program that assigned their tasks and schedules, while 15 percent would be willing.

TRANSPARENCY & REGULATION

Seventy-six percent of Americans think that businesses are not doing enough to be transparent about their use of AI, while 12 percent think businesses are doing enough, with 11 percent not offering an opinion. This is largely unchanged from Quinnipiac University's April 2025 poll.

Seventy-four percent of Americans think the government is not doing enough to regulate the use of AI, while 13 percent think the government is doing enough, with 13 percent not offering an opinion. This compares to April 2025 when 69 percent of Americans thought the government was not doing enough to regulate the use of AI and 15 percent thought the government was doing enough, with 16 percent not offering an opinion.

"Americans are not rejecting AI outright, but they are sending a warning. Too much uncertainty, too little trust, too little regulation, and too much fear about jobs," added Jaiswal.

MILITARY USE

A slight majority of Americans (51 percent) oppose the military using AI to select military targets, while 36 percent support it.

There are stark gaps between the nation's youngest and oldest generations.

Gen Z (69 - 24 percent) opposes the military using AI to select military targets, while the Silent Generation (47 - 32 percent) slightly supports the military using AI to select military targets.

When it comes to the military using AI in surveillance for security purposes, Americans are split, with 45 percent supporting it and 44 percent opposing it.

Gen Z is set apart from other generations by its clear opposition to the military using AI in surveillance for security purposes:

  • Gen Z (1997 - 2008): 36 percent support, 58 percent oppose, 6 percent not offering an opinion;
  • Millennials (1981 - 1996): 44 percent support, 49 percent oppose, 7 percent not offering an opinion;
  • Gen X (1965 - 1980): 49 percent support, 37 percent oppose, 14 percent not offering an opinion;
  • Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964): 53 percent support, 36 percent oppose, 10 percent not offering an opinion;
  • Silent Generation (1928 - 1945): 48 percent support, 29 percent oppose, 23 percent not offering an opinion.
"The negative response to using AI for military target selection, and even the mixed responses to using AI for military surveillance purposes, further reflect the doubts people have about AI and who develops and controls it. The generational gap here also stands out, as younger generations are the most skeptical about military applications of AI," added O'Neill.

POLITICAL ADS

Americans were asked how they think the federal government should handle the use of AI-generated images or audio in political ads.

Thirty-eight percent think the federal government should ban all use of them, 45 percent think the federal government should require disclosure of the use of AI-generated images or audio in political ads, and 11 percent think the federal government should not regulate the use of AI-generated images or audio in political ads.

AI DATA CENTERS

Americans 65 - 24 percent oppose the building of an AI data center in their community with majority opposition across the board.

Those who oppose the building of an AI data center in their community were given a list of three possible reasons and asked if any are part of the reason for their opposition: 72 percent say electricity costs, 64 percent say water use, and 41 percent say noise.

Those who support the building of an AI data center in their community were given a list of three possible reasons and asked if any are part of the reason for their support: 77 percent say job creation, 53 percent say increasing tax revenue, and 47 percent say the potential for creating a tech hub.

SPOTTING A FAKE

A majority of Americans (56 percent) are either very confident (18 percent) or somewhat confident (38 percent) that they can tell the difference between an authentic video or recording and a fake video or recording generated by AI, while 42 percent are either not so confident (22 percent) or not confident at all (20 percent).

Nearly 3 in 10 Americans (28 percent) say they have shared a video that they later found out was AI- generated, while 68 percent say they have not.

1,397 U.S. adults nationwide were surveyed from March 19th - 23rd with a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points, including the design effect. The survey included 800 employed adults with a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percentage points, including the design effect.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on probability-based samples using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.

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