NATIONAL AI MONITOR · 2026

Where does the country stand on AI? Net positive by 37 points...
despite broader safety concerns.

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PURPOSE

Tracking the real-time effects of AI deployment on the American people

What we're measuring

The National AI Monitor follows the effect AI is having on the lives of Americans right now, whether they think the technology is helping or harming them, and their expectations for the next few years.

How we're measuring it

We ask a new group of approximately 1,000 Americans each month whether AI is having a positive or negative effect on their lives overall, as workers, customers, community members, investors, and stewards of the environment, and what effect they expect in the future. Then we ask for qualitative responses describing their rationale.

Why this matters

AI has considerable potential to have a positive impact on business, innovation, and society – but it also presents significant risks. Leaders need a deeper understanding of how people are experiencing AI today and how their decisions affect the public over time.

KEY FINDINGS

Americans feel AI is having a positive impact on their lives in every category except the environment

Select a dot or a label to see what’s behind the number

−1000+100
LOOKING AHEAD

Americans are net positive as they look to the future, but less so than today

Very negative Somewhat negative Not sure No effect Somewhat positive Very positive
17%
14%
15%
8%
25%
19%

Effect people expect AI to have on them over the next few years

Who expects what
Age

About half of Americans aged 25 to 54 expected AI to help them in the coming years, while 18-24 were notably less optimistic. Among 55+ the split between positivity and negativity was almost exactly even.

Gender

35% of women expected AI to improve their lives, compared with 54% of men, and were slightly more likely to expect harm (36%) than benefit.

Race

Black Americans were more optimistic (51% positive vs 17% negative) compared to white Americans (42% vs 36%). Black Americans were also more optimistic than white Americans in August.

Party

Democrats were near split between expecting a positive (40%) and negative effect (38%). Republicans were more likely to expect a positive effect (51%) over negative (29%), as were independents (43% vs 30%).

Household income

34% of those earning under $50,000 expected AI to improve their lives, compared with 44% to 48% in higher brackets. 23% of lower-income Americans were not sure. Optimism rose with income in August as well.

Month over month

Americans’ view of AI’s effect on their lives holds positive for second consecutive month

August
0
September
0 ▲ +2 pp
“What kind of effect is AI having on you as a customer, worker, investor, or member of your community — and on the environment?”
Customer ▲ +4
+21→+25
Worker ▼ −4
+48→+44
Shareholder ▲ +3
+21→+24
Community ▲ +5
+7→+12
Environment ▲ +5
−17→−12
What we're watching
Environmental Footprint: The environment is the one area where Americans are more negative than positive, driven by water use, energy demand, and rising utility bills.

Additional concerns include:

  • Job Anxiety: Job loss is a top concern, even as many workers say AI makes them more productive.
  • The Human Touch: Faster service is welcome, but the inability to reach a real person is the leading complaint about companies’ use of AI.
  • Mid-career Optimism: About half of Americans aged 25 to 54 expect AI to help them in the coming years, while both younger adults and those 55+ are notably less optimistic.
  • Trust and Accuracy: Even those who feel AI is having a positive effect are concerned about the accuracy of outputs.
Read August 2026
Methodology

How the National AI Monitor works

How one score is built
Very negative
Somewhat negative
No effect/Not sure
Somewhat positive
Very positive
19% negative 40% positive
40 − 19 = +21

Net score: If 40% report a positive effect and 19% report a negative one, the score is +21. It does not mean 21% of people are positive.

Who we ask

Roughly 1,000 US adults each month, starting in August 2026, weighted to national benchmarks for age, gender, race, education, region and income.

What we ask

Two overall ratings (current effect and future-facing) plus one for each stakeholder role, on a five-point scale from very negative to very positive. “Not sure” and “this doesn’t apply to me” are offered as answer choices. Questions are followed by an open-ended “why do you say that?” except for the future-facing overall question.

How the score works

Net = (% very positive + % somewhat positive) minus (% very negative + % somewhat negative), on a −100 to +100 scale. Numbers displayed may not add up exactly due to rounding.

Get in touch

Want to look at the full data?

The National AI Monitor is fielded monthly. We can share the full crosstabs, and brief your team on what the numbers mean for you.

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