Young Americans Are Losing Faith in AI

Young Americans Are Losing Faith in AI: 7 in 10 Distrust the Industry’s Biggest Leaders

• 7 in 10 Young Americans Don’t Trust AI’s Biggest Names
• AI Has a Trust Problem: Young Americans Are Turning Against Its Leaders
• Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Zuckerberg Face a Stunning Trust Problem
• Young Americans Fear AI Will Take Their Jobs—and They Don’t Trust Its Leaders
• The AI Backlash Is Here: Young Americans Reveal Who They Trust—and Who They Don’t

The AI industry has a trust problem—and a new survey suggests some of its biggest names may be at the center of it.

A new CNBC Generation Lab poll of 1,088 Americans aged 18 to 34 found that most young adults do not believe leading AI executives can be trusted to act responsibly with the technology.

The results reveal a growing disconnect between the people building artificial intelligence and the younger generation that will likely live with its biggest consequences.

And the numbers are striking.

Nearly Half Fear AI Will Hurt Their Careers

According to the survey, 45% of respondents believe AI will have a negative impact on their careers, while just 10% believe it will help them.

That growing anxiety comes as AI systems become increasingly capable of performing tasks that once required human workers.

From writing and software development to customer service, research and creative work, companies are rapidly integrating AI into everyday operations.

For younger workers entering an increasingly competitive job market, the technology is therefore not simply an exciting innovation.

It is also a potential threat to their future income.

Young Americans Don’t Trust AI’s Biggest Names

The survey also asked respondents whether they trusted nine prominent technology leaders to act responsibly when it comes to AI.

The results were overwhelmingly negative.

Palantir CEO Alex Karp received the lowest level of trust, with 81% saying they did not trust him to act responsibly with AI.

Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel followed closely, with 79% expressing distrust.

Other major technology leaders also performed poorly.

Approximately three-quarters of respondents said they did not trust Google CEO Sundar Pichai or Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to act responsibly with AI.

Meanwhile, around 70% expressed distrust toward some of the most recognizable names in technology, including:

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg
• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
• SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

Even Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, who was the most trusted of the major AI figures included in the survey, faced skepticism. About 65% of respondents still said they did not trust him to act responsibly with AI.

It’s Not Just AI Leaders People Are Worried About

The distrust extends beyond the executives running AI companies.

Young Americans are increasingly questioning the infrastructure required to power the technology.

The survey found that 60% of respondents believe construction of data centers should be slowed, while only 15% want construction accelerated.

That could become an increasingly important issue as technology companies spend billions building massive facilities to support AI models.

Data centers consume huge amounts of electricity and water and can dramatically affect communities where they are built.

For younger Americans, the question appears to be shifting from “How powerful can AI become?” to “Who benefits from it, and who pays the price?”

Who Should Control AI?

The survey also revealed uncertainty over who should be responsible for regulating artificial intelligence.

About 40% of respondents said the federal government should establish the rules for AI, while 36% preferred an independent expert body.

That split highlights one of the biggest unresolved questions surrounding the technology.

Should AI companies regulate themselves?

Should governments impose strict rules?

Or should independent technical experts oversee the industry?

There is no universal answer yet—and the rapid pace of AI development is making the debate increasingly urgent.

Why Trust Is Becoming AI’s Biggest Problem

The results could have major implications for the AI industry.

Technology companies have spent years convincing consumers that artificial intelligence will improve productivity, create new opportunities and transform everyday life.

But if the people expected to work alongside AI do not trust the companies building it, adoption could become much more difficult.

Trust matters particularly when AI systems are being used to make decisions involving employment, education, healthcare, finance, privacy and security.

People may be willing to experiment with an AI chatbot.

They may be far less comfortable allowing an AI system to decide whether they get a job or how much they pay for a service.

The AI Industry Has a Reputation Problem

The survey does not mean that young Americans universally oppose artificial intelligence.

Instead, it points to a deeper concern about who controls the technology and whether those companies can be trusted to put public interests ahead of profits.

That distinction could become increasingly important as AI becomes more powerful.

The companies developing today’s AI systems are accumulating enormous amounts of computing power, data and influence.

At the same time, governments are still working out how to regulate the technology without slowing innovation.

That leaves consumers caught between rapidly advancing technology and an uncertain regulatory environment.

AI’s Next Battle May Be Trust

The biggest challenge for the AI industry may ultimately have little to do with making models smarter.

It may be convincing people that those models—and the companies controlling them—deserve their trust.

For young Americans already worried about employment, privacy, misinformation and the growing power of technology companies, the latest survey sends a clear warning to the industry.

AI may be advancing faster than ever, but public confidence is moving in the opposite direction.

And if that trust gap continues to widen, the biggest obstacle facing AI may not be technology at all.

It may be the people building it.