A startup building an alternative to mainstream AI models once described itself as a “self-loathing” company. The CEO’s comment stuck with one journalist who covers the industry, who replied with a joke about being a “self-loathing AI journalist”—not because they dislike their work, but because the technology itself has become distorted by hype, driven by zealots, and feels inescapable.
Public Skepticism Peaks on AI
That tension, deep skepticism alongside relentless adoption, defines the current relationship between people and AI. Public opinion has soured rapidly. According to Pew Research Center, more U.S. adults now believe AI will harm them personally and society at large than see it as beneficial. The skepticism is sharpest among younger generations. Globally, over half of adults say AI products and services make them nervous, per a Stanford University report. In May, a Gallup poll found that 71% of U.S. adults would oppose building a new AI data center in their area, far more than the 53% who would oppose a nuclear power plant. An NBC poll from March placed AI less popular than U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
AI Adoption Soars Amid Backlash
Yet despite this backlash, AI usage is surging. ChatGPT reached 1 billion monthly users in May, according to market data from Sensor Tower. Google DeepMind’s Gemini followed closely with 950 million users in July. Pew found that half of U.S. adults now use chatbots, more than double the share from 2023, with one in four doing so daily. The trend extends globally: over a third of adults across all 38 OECD countries reported using generative AI tools in the past three months.
The numbers reveal a contradiction: people dislike AI, yet they can’t stop using it. One explanation is that these are separate groups, but the data suggests otherwise. The overlap is too large for a clean divide. A stronger possibility is that the more people interact with AI, the more critical they become. Regions with higher adoption, like the Global North, show greater pessimism, while those with lower usage, like the Global South, remain more optimistic.
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Hype Fatigue Fuels AI Resistance
But the real issue may lie elsewhere. People don’t hate the technology itself; they resent the relentless push by companies to integrate AI into every aspect of life. The messaging around AI often frames it as an unstoppable force poised to disrupt society in ways unseen since the Industrial Revolution. That kind of hype doesn’t inspire trust; it fuels resistance.
This dynamic mirrors earlier tech backlashes. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter faced similar criticism over the past two decades, yet billions remained active despite growing concerns. Quitting meant losing connections and starting over. With AI, however, the situation differs. Regulation is gaining traction: all 50 U.S. states have either passed or proposed AI-related laws, creating over 2,100 bills in the past three years, a tenfold increase in just three years. Open-source alternatives to dominant models are also emerging, offering potential for more consumer choice and market competition.
Trillion-dollar companies aren’t easy to shift, but the future isn’t as fixed as they claim. The CEO of Springboards, when asked why his company was building a new model despite reservations, said there’s no turning back from large language models; but they can still be shaped differently. The challenge now is ensuring that AI is developed with transparency about its limits and without the apocalyptic marketing that has fueled so much distrust.
