Only 16 Percent of Americans Think AI Will Have a Positive Impact on Society (techcrunch.com)

A recent Pew Research study reveals that only 16% of Americans believe AI will have a positive impact on society over the next two decades, despite its pervasive presence in daily life and a surge in AI-related activities, such as IPOs. Nearly 40% of respondents anticipate a negative impact, with the majority doubting the government's ability to regulate AI effectively (67%) and fearing unsafe development by companies (59%). The skepticism is particularly pronounced among younger individuals under 30, where only 14% view AI positively. Additionally, many Americans express concerns that AI's development is progressing too rapidly. Despite these apprehensions, AI adoption is on the rise, driven mainly by the use of chatbots, with 44% of U.S. adults regularly employing OpenAI's ChatGPT. This figure has more than doubled since 2023. The study also shows a gender divide: men use AI chatbots more frequently and generally express more enthusiasm about the technology than women. Interestingly, about 60% of respondents report reading AI-generated internet summaries, indicating a growing integration of AI into information consumption, even as roughly half of Americans remain unengaged with AI technologies altogether.