Americans are becoming more familiar with AI, but greater familiarity has not translated into greater trust. Seven in 10 Americans now say they are at least somewhat knowledgeable about AI, up from 64% in 2024. Yet just 27% trust businesses some or a lot to use AI responsibly, down from 31% last year. Skepticism about the technology itself is also growing. Thirty-nine percent now believe AI does more harm than good, up eight percentage points in one year. And nearly eight in 10 expect AI to reduce the number of U.S. jobs over the next decade. As businesses continue to invest in AI, they are doing so at a time when Americans understand more about the technology but are increasingly concerned about its impact. Explore the 2026 Bentley University-Gallup Business in Society Report to understand how Americans view business today, what they expect from companies and how attitudes are shifting on AI and rising prices. https://lnkd.in/grBG9nKx
Knowing more about a technology mostly helps you see what could go wrong, so this isn't surprising. Trust comes from watching how a company behaves when the AI gets it wrong, not from understanding how it works. Is the drop similar across age groups?
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An interesting paradox: the more people understand AI, the less willing they seem to trust how businesses use it. Perhaps this reflects a growing gap between what technology can do and what organisations have demonstrated they can be trusted to do with it. Trust won't come from better AI tools alone. It will come from transparency, accountability and giving employees a genuine voice in how AI changes their work.