AI experts and the public’s opinion on the technology are increasingly diverging, according to Stanford University’s annual report on the AI industry, which was released Monday. In particular, the report noted a growing trend of anxiety around AI and, in the U.S., concerns about how the technology will impact key societal areas, such as jobs, medical care, and the economy.
The report’s findings follow growing negative sentiment about AI, with Gen Z reportedly leading the way, according to a recent Gallup poll. The study found that young people were growing less hopeful and more angry about the technology, even though around half of the demographic was using AI either daily or weekly.
For some working in tech, the AI backlash has come as a surprise. AI leaders have focused on managing the possibility of Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI — a theoretical form of AI superintelligence that could perform any task a human could do and think for itself. But everyday folks are more concerned about AI’s impact on their paycheck and whether or not their power bills will go up as energy-hungry data centers are built.
The divide has been most apparent in the online reaction to the recent attacks on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home. In posts on X , for instance, AI insiders voiced surprise at a series of Instagram comments that seemed to praise the attack on Altman’s home. Some of the online comments have a similar vibe to those that circulated online after the shooting of the United Healthcare CEO in 2024 and the more recent burning of a Kimberly-Clark warehouse by a worker angry about not receiving a “livable wage” — with some comments even going so far as to suggest that even more action, akin to a revolution, is needed.
Stanford’s report provides more insight into where all this negativity is coming from, as it summarizes data around public sentiment of AI across various sources.
For instance, it pointed to a report from Pew Research published last month, which noted that only 10% of Americans said they were more excited than concerned about the increased use of AI in daily life. Meanwhile, 56% of AI experts said they believed AI would have a positive impact on the U.S. over the next 20 years.
Expert opinion and public sentiment also greatly diverged in particular areas where AI could have a societal impact. Indeed, 84% of experts, the report authors noted, said that AI would have a largely positive impact on medical care over the next 20 years, but only 44% of the U.S. general public said the same.
Plus, a majority (73%) of experts felt positive about AI’s impact on how people do their jobs, compared with just 23% of the public. And 69% of experts felt that AI would have a positive impact on the economy. Given the supposed AI-fueled layoffs and disruptions to the workplace, it’s not surprising that only 21% of the public felt similarly.
Other data from Pew Research, cited by the report, noted that AI experts were less pessimistic on AI’s impact on the job market, while nearly two-thirds of Americans (or 64%) said they think AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next 20 years.
The U.S. also reported the lowest trust in its government to regulate AI responsibly, compared with other nations, at 31%. Singapore ranked highest at 81%, per data pulled from Ipsos found in Stanford’s report.
Another source looked at regulation concerns on a state-by-state level and concluded that, nationwide, 41% of respondents said federal AI regulation will not go far enough, while only 27% said it would go “too far.”
Despite the fears and concerns, AI did get one accolade: Globally, those who feel like AI products and services offer more benefits than drawbacks slightly rose from 55% in 2024 to 59% in 2025.
But at the same time, those respondents who said that AI makes them “nervous” grew from 50% to 52% during the same period, per data cited by the report’s authors.
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