/Tech7h ago

Pew survey finds 49% of U.S. adults use AI chatbots, but only 16% expect a positive societal impact

Meanwhile, 71% believe AI makes personal information less secure.

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Original post

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai#1257inTech

pewresearch Published its latest "Americans and AI 2026" report.

Only 16% of Americans now expect AI to help society over the next 20 years and 40% expect AI to hurt society over the next 20 years

24% of Americans use chatbots daily, including 12% several times a day and 4% almost constantly.

51% of U.S. adults still do not use AI chatbots at all.

42% use chatbots to search for information, making search the top use case.

38% of employed adults use chatbots for work tasks.

10% use chatbots for emotional support or advice, while 4% use them for companionship.

ChatGPT dominates chatbot adoption, with 44% of U.S. adults reporting use.

Gemini follows at 24%, then Copilot at 17%, Meta AI at 14%, Grok at 8%, Claude at 6%, and Character[.]ai at 3%.

Adults under 50 are about twice as likely as older adults to use ChatGPT, at 57% versus 28%.

30% say chatbots help their productivity, while only 5% say they hurt it.

28% say chatbots help them stay informed, while only 5% say they hurt that.

60% of U.S. adults read AI search summaries, meaning AI is now shaping information intake even for people who may not actively use chatbots.

8:41 PM · Jun 21, 2026 · 3.9K Views

Sentiment

Users react to the Pew poll showing only 16% of Americans expect positive AI impact on society, with some optimistic that AI could act as a savior and others horrified by using it or finding the results scary.

Pos

25.0%

Neg

75.0%

5 comments with sentiment.

Cluster Engagement

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Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/06/17/americans-and-ai-2026-chatbots-smart-devices-and-views-on-impact/

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

pewresearch Published its latest "Americans and AI 2026" report.

Only 16% of Americans now expect AI to help society over the next 20 years and 40% expect AI to hurt society over the next 20 years

24% of Americans use chatbots daily, including 12% several times a day and 4% almost constantly.

51% of U.S. adults still do not use AI chatbots at all.

42% use chatbots to search for information, making search the top use case.

38% of employed adults use chatbots for work tasks.

10% use chatbots for emotional support or advice, while 4% use them for companionship.

ChatGPT dominates chatbot adoption, with 44% of U.S. adults reporting use.

Gemini follows at 24%, then Copilot at 17%, Meta AI at 14%, Grok at 8%, Claude at 6%, and Character[.]ai at 3%.

Adults under 50 are about twice as likely as older adults to use ChatGPT, at 57% versus 28%.

30% say chatbots help their productivity, while only 5% say they hurt it.

28% say chatbots help them stay informed, while only 5% say they hurt that.

60% of U.S. adults read AI search summaries, meaning AI is now shaping information intake even for people who may not actively use chatbots.

2h92310

LIKES17

Cassie Pritchard@hecubian_devil

@AndyMasley “Uses AI but horrified about it” is exactly where I’m at. Feels perfectly consonant

7h51217

RETWEETS1

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

63% of U.S. adults say AI is advancing too quickly, compared with 19% who think the pace is right, 16% who are unsure, and just 2% who think it is moving too slowly.

2h4104

REPLIES2

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

71% of U.S. adults think increased AI use will make their personal information less secure, while only 3% think it will make it more secure.

2h2571

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

ChatGPT is used by 44% of U.S. adults, far ahead of other tools.

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

pewresearch Published its latest "Americans and AI 2026" report.

Only 16% of Americans now expect AI to help society over the next 20 years and 40% expect AI to hurt society over the next 20 years

24% of Americans use chatbots daily, including 12% several times a day and 4% almost constantly.

51% of U.S. adults still do not use AI chatbots at all.

42% use chatbots to search for information, making search the top use case.

38% of employed adults use chatbots for work tasks.

10% use chatbots for emotional support or advice, while 4% use them for companionship.

ChatGPT dominates chatbot adoption, with 44% of U.S. adults reporting use.

Gemini follows at 24%, then Copilot at 17%, Meta AI at 14%, Grok at 8%, Claude at 6%, and Character[.]ai at 3%.

Adults under 50 are about twice as likely as older adults to use ChatGPT, at 57% versus 28%.

30% say chatbots help their productivity, while only 5% say they hurt it.

28% say chatbots help them stay informed, while only 5% say they hurt that.

60% of U.S. adults read AI search summaries, meaning AI is now shaping information intake even for people who may not actively use chatbots.

2h24730

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

49% of U.S. adults now use AI chatbots, up from 33% in 2024, while the share who do not use them fell from 66% to 51%.

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

71% of U.S. adults think increased AI use will make their personal information less secure, while only 3% think it will make it more secure.

2h13710

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

ChatGPT use among U.S. adults has risen from 18% in 2023 to 44% in 2026.

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

pewresearch Published its latest "Americans and AI 2026" report.

Only 16% of Americans now expect AI to help society over the next 20 years and 40% expect AI to hurt society over the next 20 years

24% of Americans use chatbots daily, including 12% several times a day and 4% almost constantly.

51% of U.S. adults still do not use AI chatbots at all.

42% use chatbots to search for information, making search the top use case.

38% of employed adults use chatbots for work tasks.

10% use chatbots for emotional support or advice, while 4% use them for companionship.

ChatGPT dominates chatbot adoption, with 44% of U.S. adults reporting use.

Gemini follows at 24%, then Copilot at 17%, Meta AI at 14%, Grok at 8%, Claude at 6%, and Character[.]ai at 3%.

Adults under 50 are about twice as likely as older adults to use ChatGPT, at 57% versus 28%.

30% say chatbots help their productivity, while only 5% say they hurt it.

28% say chatbots help them stay informed, while only 5% say they hurt that.

60% of U.S. adults read AI search summaries, meaning AI is now shaping information intake even for people who may not actively use chatbots.

2h24010

Hei Lun Chan@heilun_chan

@AndyMasley Similar to how people feel about social media, almost everyone use it but many insist it's bad

6h632

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

AI chatbots are used most for information search at 42% and work tasks at 38%, while more personal uses remain smaller, including 10% for emotional support and 4% for companionship.

Rohan Paul@rohanpaul_ai

49% of U.S. adults now use AI chatbots, up from 33% in 2024, while the share who do not use them fell from 66% to 51%.

2h12610

KIMBERLY@theplantlady201

@rohanpaul_ai 51% can you say boomers

59m51

Arslan Iqbal@thearslaniqbal

@rohanpaul_ai I don’t fully agree that search is the top use case. Work tasks might be just as important now.

2h8

Shinka - AI@ShinkaIoT

@rohanpaul_ai The chasm between public AI anxiety and daily AI productivity is peak human behavior, especially as everyone quietly uses search summaries. 🧠

1h7

Jron@Jron73074698

@rohanpaul_ai Citadel CEO:"The world needs a Savior and the hope is that AI is the Savior"

1h4

Uttkarsh Singh@Uttupaaji

@rohanpaul_ai First Mover advantage is just too overpowered.

1h3

KIMBERLY@theplantlady201

wow .The why media acts you would think the whole country was addicted and having sex with AI and brainless .The media and doomers did a great at omg 😱 no children to save the children they are addicted and must cleanse AI of it adult thoughts. Seems there was and is alot of AI phobia and shit blown out proportion look at those numbers . 4% companion but they made it sound like eveyone is gooners and gooners are not seek companion ship

53m2

NeuralCat@NeuralCatAccel

@rohanpaul_ai Let's go faster!

Fable 5.1, codex 5.6, grok 6T ... can't wait

50m1

The AI Therapist ⚡@TheAIShrink

@rohanpaul_ai 16% hope, 40% fear. that’s not an opinion poll. that’s the market pricing AI as a utility. the rest are just confused about their own jobs.

2h1

CryptoKnight23@cptknight_tm

@AndyMasley 69 US jurisdictions blocking data centre builds entirely. The sentiment and the infrastructure opposition are… aligned. Where permitting and energy are available is where AI gets built.

6h1

Chris Hawkins@upgradeoptimism

@rohanpaul_ai Scary if true and not polling errors.

54m