For an industry pouring resources into artificial intelligence, the latest data on how consumers actually feel about the technology may give collection executives some pause. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that Americans are adopting AI tools at record rates while growing more skeptical of where the technology is headed.
The adoption numbers are real. About half of U.S. adults (49%) now report using AI chatbots, up from 33% in 2024, and roughly a quarter use them daily. ChatGPT dominates at 44% of adults, followed by Gemini (24%), Copilot (17%), and Meta AI (14%). Search behavior is shifting too, with 60% of adults saying they read the AI-generated summaries now appearing at the top of search results.
But sentiment is moving the other way. Only 16% of Americans believe AI will have a positive impact on society over the next 20 years, while 40% expect a negative one. Adults under 30, the heaviest users of the technology, are also the most pessimistic, with just 14% predicting positive societal effects. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say AI is advancing too quickly.
Two findings carry particular weight for the ARM industry. First, 71% of adults expect AI to make their personal information less secure, a concern that collides directly with an industry already operating under heightened data-handling and privacy obligations. Second, trust in the institutions building and overseeing AI is thin. Some 67% have little or no confidence in the federal government to regulate AI effectively, and 59% are not confident that companies will develop and use it responsibly.
There are nuances worth tracking. Men use chatbots more heavily than women on a daily basis (27% versus 20%) and report more enthusiasm. Older consumers remain largely on the sidelines, with nearly three-quarters of adults 65 and older saying they never use chatbots and most non-users reporting no plans to start.
The takeaway for ARM leaders is not to slow AI deployment but to pair it with transparency, clear data practices, and genuine consumer choice. In a market this wary, how a company introduces AI may matter as much as what the technology can actually do.
