57% of Americans see AI as risk to society, limiting human connection

A new Pew Research Center survey reveals that 57% of Americans view artificial intelligence as posing high risks to society, while only 25% see high benefits from the technology. The findings highlight a significant trust gap that could influence how AI development and regulation unfold across the United States.

What you should know: The survey asked Americans to explain their reasoning about AI’s risks and benefits in their own words, providing deeper insight into public sentiment.

• Among those rating AI risks as high, 27% worry most about AI eroding human abilities and connections, making people “lazy or less able to think creatively or critically.”
• Information accuracy concerns ranked second, with 18% fearing AI will make it harder to distinguish real content from AI-generated material.
• Only 15% of Americans rate both AI’s risks and benefits as high, suggesting most people see the technology through a predominantly positive or negative lens.

Why Americans fear AI: The most common concerns center on human capability degradation and loss of authentic connections.

• A teacher respondent emphasized children’s need to develop “curiosity, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills and creativity” rather than relying on AI.
• One woman, aged 30-39, argued that “the experience of encountering hardships and obstacles and overcoming them is essential to forming our character.”
• Control concerns also feature prominently, with 17% worried about society’s ability to regulate AI development, with one respondent warning that “technology will advance rapidly and outpace our ability to anticipate outcomes.”

What AI optimists see: Among the 25% who rate AI benefits as high, efficiency gains dominate their reasoning.

• 41% of AI optimists cite efficiency improvements that free up human time for better uses.
• As one respondent explained: “AI takes mundane tasks that often waste talent and effort and allows us to automate them…and allows us to save something that we can never get back: time!”
• Another 23% point to AI’s potential to expand human capabilities, particularly in scientific and medical breakthroughs.

The misinformation factor: Concerns about AI’s impact on information integrity reflect broader societal anxieties about truth and authenticity.

• “Misinformation is already a huge problem and AI can create misinformation a lot faster than people can,” noted one male respondent.
• Others worry about AI being used for criminal purposes, including identity theft and framing innocent people through deepfakes.

Healthcare hopes: Medical applications represent a key area where Americans see AI’s positive potential.

• One respondent highlighted AI’s diagnostic capabilities: “Use of AI could significantly speed diagnosis of medical issues…a real issue particularly in rural areas.”
• The survey suggests healthcare applications may offer a pathway for building broader public trust in AI technology.