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For a time, it appeared as if AI would find broad acceptance among the American masses. <\/p>\n
The peanut gallery on social media happily embraced<\/a> early image generation models as researchers appeared to make significant breakthroughs<\/a> with the aid of their newfound tools. On paper, surveys found public attitudes toward the tech continued to improve into 2025 \u2014 before sharply reversing.<\/p>\n In 2026, America\u2019s honeymoon phase with AI seems to be quickly wearing off. According to a joint poll<\/a> conducted by Bentley University and Gallup, the percentage of US adults who think AI does \u201cmore harm than good\u201d is rising, from 31 percent in 2025 to 39 percent this year, while a piddling 9 percent still think the tech does \u201cmore good than harm.\u201d<\/p>\n As outlooks sour, the Bentley-Gallup poll found that Americans\u2019 familiarity with AI continues to grow. In 2026, 70 percent of those polled said they\u2019re \u201csomewhat or extremely knowledgeable\u201d about AI, up 6 percent compared to 2024. The implication probably gives OpenAI Sam Altman a migraine: the more people learn about AI, the less they seem to want it in their lives.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Americans are increasingly wary about data centers, with a recent Politico survey<\/a> finding that 41 percent of US adults would oppose a data center being built within three miles of their home, up drastically from 28 percent in January. At the same time, the volume of support for data centers plummeted, down 13 percent over the past six months alone.<\/p>\n