AI is losing young Americans: new Pew survey shows rising concern

Pew Research Center has new U.S. survey data on artificial intelligence, and the takeaway is pretty stark: young Americans now feel far more worried about it than excited. In Pew’s latest survey, 55% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 say they’re more concerned than excited, while just 11% say they’re more excited than concerned. That’s a sharp shift from 31% expressing concern in 2021 and 39% in 2024. Excitement has fallen too, down from 25% five years ago.

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Work seems to be driving a lot of that anxiety. In the same Pew Research Center survey, 73% of adults under 30 say AI will mean fewer jobs over the next 20 years, up from 61% in 2024. Among all U.S. adults, 71% say the same. What makes that more interesting is that younger adults are still the age group most likely to use chatbot tools.

That mix of heavy use and growing skepticism is showing up in other places too. Gallup found Gen Z excitement down 14 points since 2025, while anger rose 9 points. Data from the European Commission, the International Labour Organization, and Opeepl Youth Pulse points in the same direction: younger Europeans are especially uneasy about job automation and misinformation, even though 67% say they use AI tools. If you keep an eye on AI and the job market, this update is worth a look. The Pew Research Center survey is available online.