People around the world are increasingly turning to AI for everyday tasks โ from looking up recipes and finishing homework to researching work projects and building presentations.
But daily use doesn't necessarily translate into comfort with the technology's broader implications. According to a new survey from opinion research firm Gallup, about 68% of Americans who use AI every day say they are worried about it โ and concern skews even higher among less frequent users.
The findings arrive at a moment of intense debate over AI's dangers, rapid developments in AI safety, growing discussion of rogue or self-improving systems, and accusations of anticompetitive behavior among leading labs. Against that backdrop, the survey complicates the assumption that adoption rates can serve as a straightforward measure of public enthusiasm for AI.
A 37-Country Study, Expanding to 140
Commissioned by Microsoft, the Gallup study has released results from 37 countries, with researchers polling roughly 1,000 people per country between April and July. The project is eventually set to span 140 countries. Notably, India โ home to a vast population of tech users โ is not included in the current results, nor are Australia and Malaysia.
The U.S. Sits at the Anxious End of the Spectrum
The findings place the United States at the anxious extreme of an international chart, even as people elsewhere expect the technology to improve their lives. According to Gallup, Western countries are the most concerned about AI, with the U.S. leading in anxiety: 74% of Americans reported feelings of worry, and only 36% expect AI to mostly help the country.
Other wealthy Western nations showed a similar mix of relatively frequent use and concern. In Canada, for example, 29% of those surveyed reported using AI daily, and of those, more than half expressed concerns about the technology's impact. Overall, 64% of Canadians aware of AI said it worried them.
The results reflect a growing wave of discontent around AI. Tech companies have laid off hundreds of thousands of employees in order to invest in AI, entry-level openings have shrunk, and there have been life-ending cases linked to AI psychosis. AI leaders have amplified the alarm as well: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that the technology will wipe out jobs en masse.
A Different Picture Outside the West
The survey paints a markedly different picture in the rest of the world. In Singapore, which had the highest share of daily users in the study at 46%, more than 80% of those aware of AI expect the technology to improve their everyday lives, and 77% think it will help the country. In China, where 35% of people report using AI daily, most expect it to help the country. The story is similar in Israel.
Optimism Doesn't Always Mean Trust
Still, optimism about AI doesn't necessarily translate into trust in its accuracy. According to Gallup, people who use AI daily were generally more trusting of its results โ especially in high-adoption countries such as Singapore, Israel, and China.
via TechCrunch AI