Young Americans Express Deep Distrust in AI Leaders and Fear Job Losses, Survey Finds

Young Americans aged 18 to 34 are showing deep skepticism toward artificial intelligence and the corporate executives championing its adoption, according to a survey conducted by CNBC and Generation Labs that was first reported by TechRadar Pro.

The study, which gathered responses from 1,088 individuals across the United States, revealed widespread concern regarding how AI will shape future employment opportunities. Nearly half of the participants—45%—expressed belief that the expansion of artificial intelligence will negatively affect their careers, whereas only 10% expected the technology to be beneficial to their professional growth.

This skepticism extended directly to prominent corporate leaders who are funding and building major generative AI initiatives. When asked to evaluate nine prominent technology executives, respondents consistently doubted their willingness to act responsibly with artificial intelligence, giving every single executive listed a net negative rating.

Palantir Chief Executive Officer Alex Karp recorded the highest level of distrust among those surveyed, with 81% indicating they do not trust him to act responsibly regarding AI. Palantir Chairman Peter Thiel followed closely at 79%, while Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai and Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei both recorded 75% distrust ratings.

Other high-profile corporate figures in the sector faced similar sentiment. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk all received distrust ratings of approximately 70%. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella received the least unfavorable score in the survey, though 65% of participants still expressed distrust in his handling of the technology.

The findings also highlighted strong support for regulatory intervention in artificial intelligence. Four in ten respondents (40%) stated that the federal government should establish formal rules for AI, while 36% preferred that an independent body of experts handle regulatory frameworks. Only 8% of young adults surveyed felt that artificial intelligence should remain unregulated.

Concerns over AI's expansion extended to physical infrastructure as well, with 60% of respondents agreeing that data center construction should be slowed, compared to just 15% who favored accelerating development. These tech-related anxieties coincided with broader economic pessimism among young adults, as nearly 80% held negative views of the current U.S. economy and half predicted economic conditions will continue to worsen.