Trendency: AI … Good? Bad? Helpful?
Trendency
So: how do Americans really view the potential outcomes of the newest technology known as AI? As artificial intelligence continues to weave itself into our lives and the digital world takes over, people are forming distinct (and sometimes conflicting) views on what that future will look like. Trendency has been tracking opinions on AI’s influence over the internet, and results reveal a nuanced picture: optimism and apprehension coexist in nearly equal measure.
A majority of respondents, regardless of whether they hold optimistic or negative views of AI, believe that AI will fundamentally transform how we use the internet, though many also expect new challenges to emerge. This sentiment is especially strong among those with negative views of AI (79% agree), but even a majority of optimistic respondents share the concern (62%). While a notable portion of positive-leaning participants (34%) believe AI will improve the internet, only 17% of those with negative opinions feel the same, reinforcing that transformation is widely anticipated, but its benefits are seen as less certain.
Here are the key takeaways from this week’s chart:
😨😨Transformative yet risky: A significant portion of respondents believe that, while AI will fundamentally transform the way we use the internet, it will also introduce new problems. Among those with a negative opinion of AI, this view dominates, with an average of around 79% agreeing with this statement, whereas 62% of people with an optimistic view of AI agree with this statement.
📈📉Shifts Over Time: The data, spanning multiple dates, indicates that these opinions have remained relatively stable. The proportion of people believing AI will bring both change and new problems fluctuated only slightly, hovering around the mid-70% range for those skeptical of AI, and mid-50% for those supportive. It is interesting to note, that even though overall people optimistic about AI think it will come with issues, there has been a 10% decrease from 2023.
❓❓What the Data Suggests About the Future: Most people, regardless of whether they like or dislike AI, agree that AI will fundamentally reshape how we interact with the internet and will introduce new problems. The disagreement lies in how they expect that change to feel: liberating or disruptive. The trend hints at a future where the internet becomes more personalized, automated, and efficient, but also potentially more fragmented and less transparent.
