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AI Is One of the Least-Liked Things in America, According to New NBC Poll

The poll finds that AI is viewed less positively than ICE and President Donald Trump, and only more positively than Iran and the Democratic Party.

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Headshot of Macy Meyer
Macy Meyer Writer II
Macy is a writer on the AI Team. She covers how AI is changing daily life and how to make the most of it. This includes writing about consumer AI products and their real-world impact, from breakthrough tools reshaping daily life to the intimate ways people interact with AI technology day-to-day. Macy is a North Carolina native who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in English and a second BA in Journalism. You can reach her at mmeyer@cnet.com.
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  • Macy has been working for CNET for coming on 2 years. Prior to CNET, Macy received a North Carolina College Media Association award in sports writing.
Macy Meyer
2 min read
A stylized group of monochrome-colored business professionals stands in formation, all facing a glowing AI symbol suspended in the air.

Turns out, Americans really don't like AI. But they still like it more than Iran and Democrats. 

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Artificial intelligence has rapidly become embedded in everything from phones to schoolwork to war plans. And that means everyone is likely to have an opinion about the technology. 

A new national survey conducted for NBC News highlights a striking disconnect between the spread of AI tools and Americans' views on them. The poll, which ran from Feb. 27 to March 3, asked 1,000 registered voters about their views on topics ranging from border security to the new pope. 

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Only 26% of voters said they view AI positively, 46% view it negatively, and 28% said they feel unsure or have no opinion, leaving AI with a net favorability of -20. In the study, AI ranked less favorably than US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Republican Party and The Late Show host Stephen Colbert. (Pope Leo XIV was by far the most popular person respondents were asked about.) 

Among the rankings, AI is one of the least popular topics in the survey -- ranking only slightly more positively than Iran and the Democratic Party.

A growing disconnect between AI and public opinion

There is a notable disconnect between the industry's ongoing push for AI adoption and how Americans feel about it. 

Tech companies are currently investing millions of dollars into developing generative AI tools and physical AI. In the last week alone, OpenAI released its latest GPT 5.4 model and AI companies made moves to work with the US Department of Defense. At the same time, Americans are growing increasingly wary of the technology.

The mismatch between adoption and public sentiment seems to be driven by concerns about AI's broader impact, such as job displacement, privacy issues, the spread of misinformation and the undermining of human-made work. 

For companies and policymakers going all in on AI, the biggest challenge will be less about developing the next slew of innovative chatbot models or AI devices and more about persuading the public that the technology can be trusted.Â