Public Anti-AI Sentiment Grows as Uncanny Valley Theory Explains Visceral Reactions
Public sentiment towards artificial intelligence is increasingly negative, as a Quinnipiac poll from March 2026 indicates that 55% of Americans believe AI will do more harm than good, a rise from 44% in April 2025. Meanwhile, a 2025 Pew survey found that 76% of AI professionals view AI positively, in stark contrast to just 24% of the general U.S. population. Major worries include job loss, fraud, misinformation, and privacy issues. The emotional toll of unemployment heightens anxiety, especially with AI's integration into everyday life. Masahiro Mori's 1970 concept of the uncanny valley explains the strong emotional responses to AI, with research indicating that frequent encounters with imperfectly empathetic AI can exacerbate societal discontent.
Key facts
- 55% of Americans thought AI would do more harm than good in day-to-day lives in March 2026, up from 44% in April 2025.
- 64% of Americans believed AI would do more harm than good in education in March 2026.
- 76% of AI experts said AI would benefit them personally in Pew's 2025 survey, while only 24% of the U.S. public agreed.
- Masahiro Mori introduced the uncanny valley concept in 1970.
- A 2025 study on virtual agents used the pathogen-avoidance hypothesis to explain uncanny reactions.
- Moosa and Ud-Dean argue the uncanny valley reflects a danger-avoidance system beyond pathogen avoidance.
- MacDorman connected the uncanny valley to terror management theory, linking it to reminders of death.
- Repeated exposure to AI can reduce uncanniness in some contexts but may leave a stable sense of untrustworthiness.
Entities
Artists
- Masahiro Mori
- MacDorman
- Ho
- Moosa
- Ud-Dean
Institutions
- Pew
- Quinnipiac
- Substack
Locations
- United States