AI has a PR problem

TL;DR: A new study shows the generation most affected by AI, Gen Z, is also the one turning against it fastest. Meanwhile, companies can't get their own employees on board, and the CEOs driving the boom seem genuinely puzzled by the backlash. AI has a serious perception problem, and the people best positioned to fix it may be making it worse.

What happened: A Gallup survey released Thursday found that the share of young people who feel “excited” about AI dropped from 36% last year to 22%. Those who feel “angry” jumped from 22% to 31%, and those who feel “hopeful” dropped nine percentage points. The vibes track: Gen Z is the generation closest to the entry-level job market AI is already reshaping.

Gen Z’s AI usage is unchanged year over year, and more than half still use it daily or weekly. But the sentiment is clearly souring. Many worry AI could undermine creativity and remain unconvinced it will meaningfully improve learning or career outcomes.

Not just Gen Z thinks AI is chopped: AI skepticism runs deep across all age groups. A Quinnipiac poll from March found that over half of Americans think AI will do “more harm than good.” A 2025 Pew survey found 61% of Americans want more control over how AI is used in their lives. 80% support regulation, even if it slows development.

The call is coming from inside the house: That same tension is playing out inside businesses. Companies are investing heavily in AI, but struggling to convince their own employees to embrace it. Nearly 9 in 10 communications leaders say they’re not ready to lead an AI transformation. Meanwhile, employees are feeling anxious, angry, and left behind as their ill-equipped bosses aren’t able to reassure them.

CEOs are crashing out: Some tech CEOs are a little in their feelings that you don’t like their AI. Sam Altman recently called adoption "surprisingly slow." Jensen Huang described the public perception of AI as “extremely hurtful, frankly.” (Worth noting: These narratives are also coming from within the AI industry. An Anthropic safety researcher recently quit to write poetry, saying “the world is in peril.”) Microsoft's Satya Nadella said it plainly at Davos: Until people feel AI improving their actual lives, it risks losing “social permission” to operate at all.

Bottom line: AI is one of the only technologies in recent memory met with what one financial historian called “active hostility.” Or, as tech journalist Nilay Patel put it, “Great consumer products don’t make young people feel anger and despair the more they use them.” Which, fair. And right now, those building AI are the least likely group to assuage those fears or solve the trust gap. —AC