AI usage rises across US despite concerns over data centers, job impacts

(CN) — More Americans than ever are using artificial intelligence tools for research and work despite voicing all-time high levels of concern over AI’s potential effects on the job market, according to a new poll released Monday.

Surveying 1,397 U.S. adults nationwide, the pollsters with Quinnipiac University found 51% of Americans say they have used AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for researching topics they are curious about, up from 37% in April 2025.

Additionally, 28% said they’ve used AI tools to write something for them, while 27% have used them for school or work projects. Only 27% of Americans said they’ve never used any AI tools, compared with 33% in April 2025.

That rise in AI usage hasn’t made Americans any less wary of the technology, though: 76% of participants said they either hardly ever trust (27%) or only sometimes trust (49%) information generated by AI.

“The contradiction between use and trust of AI is striking,” said Chetan Jaiswal, associate chair of the computing department at Quinnipiac School of Computing and Engineering. “Americans are clearly adopting AI, but they are doing so with deep hesitation, not deep trust.”

Indeed, worries over AI remain high across the U.S. — 80% of all Americans are either very concerned (38%) or somewhat concerned (42%) about AI, with every age group from Gen Z to the Silent Generation expressing unease amid the AI boom.

Much of that concern applies to fears over how artificial intelligence could upend employment prospects in the U.S. According to Quinnipiac, 70% of Americans believe AI advancements will likely lead to a decrease in job opportunities for people — up from 56% in April 2025.

Notably, Quinnipiac found younger Americans expressed significantly more anxiety over AI’s effects on job prospects: 81% of Gen Z Americans expect a decrease in job opportunities due to AI, compared to 71% of millennials, 67% of Gen Xers, 66% of baby boomers and 57% of the Silent Generation.

“Younger Americans report the highest familiarity with AI tools, but they are also the least optimistic about the labor market,” said Tamilla Triantori, associate professor of business analytics and information systems at the Quinnipiac University School of Business. “AI fluency and optimism here are moving in opposite directions.”

As the artificial intelligence sector continues to grow, so too do the data centers that run them — Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet are expected to spend a combined $650 billion on AI-related infrastructure in 2026 alone, according to analysis conducted by investment firm Bridgewater Associates.

However, most Americans say these data centers would make a bad neighbor. When asked whether they’d approve construction of an AI data center in their community, 65% of Americans opposed the idea, compared to 24% of Americans who supported it.

When those who opposed construction were asked why, 72% cited heightened electricity costs, 64% said water use and 41% said noise pollution.

Conversely, 77% of those who support the construction of data centers cited job creation, 53% said increasing tax revenue and 47% said the potential for creating a tech hub as benefits.

Despite widespread concerns over the rise of artificial intelligence across the United States, corporations large and small have embraced AI tools without any comprehensive federal regulations in place to limit their usage — much to the dismay of a majority of Americans.

Over 75% of Americans think businesses aren’t being transparent enough about their use of AI, according to the poll. Additionally, 74% of Americans said the government isn’t doing enough to regulate AI use, up from 69% in April 2025.

“Americans are not rejecting AI outright, but they are sending a warning,” Jaiswal said. “Too much uncertainty, too little trust, too little regulation, and too much fear about jobs.”

The full Quinnipiac University poll can be viewed here.

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