AI Paradox: Public Skepticism Grows as ChatGPT Hits One Billion Monthly Users

A Technology Review analysis examines the widening gap between negative public sentiment toward artificial intelligence and record adoption rates. According to Pew Research, more US adults expect AI to harm them personally and society than expect positive effects, with pessimism strongest among young people. A Stanford University report found over half of people worldwide feel nervous about AI products and services. In a May Gallup poll, 71% of US adults said they would oppose a new AI data center in their area, compared with 53% who would oppose a nuclear power plant. An NBC poll in March found AI less popular than ICE. Yet usage continues to climb: ChatGPT reached one billion monthly users in May per Sensor Tower, while Google DeepMind's Gemini logged 950 million users in July. Pew reports half of US adults now use a chatbot, more than double the 2023 figure, with one in four using one daily. Across all 38 OECD countries, more than a third of adults reported using generative AI tools in the previous three months. The article argues the frustration targets corporate push rather than the technology itself, and notes that unlike social media's walled gardens, AI still offers open-source alternatives and regulatory momentum, with all 50 US states having passed or proposed AI laws, creating over 2,100 bills—a tenfold increase in three years. The CEO of startup Springboards, building an LLM designed for more varied responses, described his firm as 'a self-loathing AI company.'