According to Stanford University’s annual report on the AI industry released Monday, AI experts and the public’s opinion of the technology are increasingly disconnected. In particular, the report points to a growing trend of anxiety around AI, with concerns in the United States about how the technology will impact key social sectors such as employment, health care, and the economy.
The report’s findings come in the wake of growing negative sentiment toward AI, with Gen Z reportedly leading the way, according to a recent Gallup poll. The study found that young people are losing hope and becoming increasingly angry about technology, even though around half of the demographic uses AI on a daily or weekly basis.
For some people working in the technology industry, the AI backlash comes as a surprise. AI leaders are focused on managing the potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI). AGI is a theoretical form of AI superintelligence that can perform any task that humans can perform and think for themselves. But the public is more concerned about how AI will affect their salaries and whether their electricity bills will rise as they build more energy-intensive data centers.
Nowhere was this divide more evident than in the online reaction to the recent attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home. In the X post, for example, AI insiders expressed surprise at a series of Instagram comments that seemed to praise Altman’s attack on his home. Some of the online comments have a similar feel to those that circulated online after the 2024 shooting of the United Healthcare CEO and, more recently, the Kimberly-Clark warehouse arson by workers angry about not receiving a “living wage,” with some even suggesting that more revolutionary-like action is needed.
The Stanford University report compiles data on public sentiment toward AI across a variety of sources and provides more insight into where this negative opinion is coming from.
For example, a Pew Research report released last month found that only 10% of Americans say they are more excited than concerned about the increasing use of AI in daily life. Meanwhile, 56% of AI experts said they believe AI will have a positive impact on the United States over the next 20 years.
Expert opinions and public sentiment also varied widely in specific areas where AI could impact society. In fact, while 84% of experts say AI will have a significant positive impact on healthcare over the next 20 years, only 44% of the general U.S. public believes this, the report’s authors note.
Furthermore, a majority of professionals (73%) feel positive about the impact of AI on the way people work, compared to just 23% of the general public. Additionally, 69% of experts felt that AI would have a positive impact on the economy. Given the layoffs and workplace disruption caused by AI, it’s no surprise that only 21% of Americans feel the same way.
Other Pew Research data cited in the report shows that AI experts are less pessimistic about the impact of AI on the job market, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans saying they think AI will lead to fewer jobs over the next 20 years.
The US also reported the lowest confidence in the government to responsibly regulate AI compared to other countries, at 31%. According to data from Ipsos included in the Stanford University report, Singapore ranked highest at 81%.
Another source surveyed state-by-state regulatory concerns and concluded that nationally, 41% of respondents said federal AI regulation doesn’t go far enough, and only 27% said it goes “too far.”
Despite the concerns and misgivings, AI has earned one accolade. Globally, the number of people who feel that AI products and services have more benefits than drawbacks has increased slightly from 55% in 2024 to 59% in 2025.
But at the same time, data cited by the report’s authors shows that the number of respondents who say AI makes them “nervous” increased from 50% to 52% over the same period.
