Fifty-nine percent of people worldwide now say AI products and services offer more benefits than drawbacks, up from 55 percent the year before, according to the public opinion chapter of Stanford University's 2026 AI Index Report. The increase shows a steady climb in global confidence toward AI-powered tools even as skepticism persists alongside it.

The same chapter found that the share of respondents who say AI products make them nervous rose to 52 percent over the same period, so rising approval and rising unease are occurring together. Stanford researchers also identified a wide gap between how AI experts and the general public view specific applications of the technology. Eighty-four percent of experts believe AI will help medical care, compared with 44 percent of the public. On jobs, 73 percent of experts expect AI to help, compared with just 23 percent of the public.

Trust in government oversight of AI also varies sharply by country. Among the nations Stanford surveyed, the United States reported the lowest level of public trust in its own government's ability to regulate AI, at 31 percent, while the European Union scored higher trust than either the United States or China on the same question.

For businesses building AI-driven marketing, customer service, or search-visibility strategies, the data points to a market that is warming to AI-powered experiences overall while still carrying real reservations that vary by application and by country.

Source: Stanford HAI - https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report/public-opinion