Currently, 50% of Americans utilize AI chatbots; however, 40% believe that AI will negatively impact society, and two-thirds express distrust in the government's ability to regulate it.

      **TL;DR** A Pew survey of 5,119 US adults reveals that 49% use AI chatbots, but 40% believe AI will harm society. Additionally, 67% distrust government regulation and 59% mistrust companies.

      Currently, half of American adults utilize AI chatbots, yet a significant number believe these technologies will ultimately be detrimental to society. A substantial majority express distrust towards both governmental and corporate management of AI. According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, released Wednesday, which surveyed 5,119 US adults in February, 49% reported using AI chatbots, an increase from about a third in 2024. Concurrently, 40% expressed the view that AI would negatively impact society, roughly two-thirds believe AI is advancing too rapidly, and 71% feel it will compromise their personal data security.

      ChatGPT is the most used chatbot among American adults, with 44% claiming they have used the OpenAI application. Following it are Google’s Gemini at 24%, Microsoft Copilot at 17%, MetaAI at 14%, Grok at 8%, Claude at 6%, and Character.ai at 3%. The primary use case is information searching, reported by 42% of chatbot users, followed by entertainment at 25%, creating or editing images and videos at 24%, and seeking medical advice at 20%.

      The report highlights a significant trust deficit. Approximately two-thirds of Americans, 67%, expressed little or no trust in the government’s ability to effectively regulate AI. Additionally, 59% lack confidence that US companies will responsibly develop this technology.

      The government's inability to create a clear AI regulatory framework, despite extensive discussions and the abandonment of an executive order, seems to have impacted public perception. The partisan divide in trust regarding regulation is notable, as a separate Pew survey from March 2025 indicated that 54% of Republicans had some trust in the US government's regulatory capabilities compared to only 36% of Democrats.

      “AI is no longer the future; for many, it’s a present reality,” stated Pew Research Center associate director of research Jeffrey Gottfried. “While Americans are increasingly integrating chatbots into their daily lives, their relationship with AI is complicated. They may use the technology but remain highly skeptical of its societal implications.”

      This skepticism spans various demographics. An earlier Pew survey from 2024 revealed that only 17% of the general public perceived AI to have a positive impact on the US over the next 20 years, in contrast to 56% of AI experts who shared a similar outlook. Americans exhibited more optimism regarding AI in healthcare, with 44% anticipating positive effects; however, only 24% felt positively about its impact on education, and a mere 23% held similar views regarding its influence on jobs.

      Concerns about jobs aren't merely hypothetical. In April, Meta and Microsoft collectively cut 23,000 jobs in a single day, explicitly citing AI investments as a reason. In 2026 so far, the tech sector has recorded over 96,000 job losses, with the companies enacting these cuts being among the most profitable globally.

      Pew found that 21% of US workers now use AI in their jobs, an increase from 16% in 2024, but significantly more workers are anxious than optimistic about the implications of this trend. Only 23% of the general public believes AI will positively affect job performance over the next 20 years, compared to 73% of AI experts.

      The report also notes a considerable level of non-adoption. Among the 51% of US adults who do not use AI chatbots, 60% attributed this to lack of interest rather than access or technical skills. Many respondents acknowledged using products with AI capabilities without recognizing them as such, including 37% using smartwatches and 35% using smart speakers like Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod.

      Fewer Americans are using chatbots for high-stakes tasks that have drawn the most regulatory attention. Only 13% reported using chatbots for news, 10% for emotional support, and 4% for companionship. Concerns about data privacy are widespread, with 71% agreeing that AI will make their personal data less secure.

      The latest Pew data is derived from various surveys conducted at different times between 2024 and February 2026. The chatbot usage statistics are based on the February 2026 survey, while some attitude measures come from earlier polling. The methodology utilizes Pew’s American Trends Panel, a nationally representative sample recruited through random residential address sampling, with interviews conducted online or via phone.

      The findings illustrate a nation adopting AI tools more rapidly than it is building trust in the institutions responsible for regulating them. The gap between usage and trust is widening rather than closing, and neither regulators nor the industry have proposed a credible plan to address this issue.