Gallup, commissioned by Microsoft, surveyed roughly 1,000 people in each of 37 countries between April and July, with plans to eventually cover 140 countries. The results show that frequent AI use does not translate into comfort with the technology. In the U.S., about 68% of daily AI users are worried about it, and 74% of all Americans aware of AI reported feeling worry, while only 36% expect AI to mostly help the country. Western countries cluster at the anxious end of the spectrum: Canada, where 29% use AI daily, has more than half of daily users expressing concern, and 64% of AI-aware Canadians feel worried. The U.S. leads in anxiety among the countries reported.

The survey complicates the idea that adoption is a reliable proxy for public enthusiasm, especially amid ongoing debates about AI safety, job displacement, and anti-competitive behavior. The article notes layoffs, shrinking entry-level roles, reported cases of AI psychosis, and warnings from figures like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei as contributing context. In contrast, Singapore reports the highest daily usage (46%), with more than 80% of AI-aware respondents expecting AI to improve their everyday lives and 77% expecting it to help the country. China (35% daily users) and Israel show similar optimism. Notably, India, Australia, and Malaysia are not yet included in the reported results.

Optimism about AI’s societal impact does not necessarily mean trust in its outputs. Gallup found that daily users generally trust results more, especially in high-adoption countries like Singapore, Israel, and China, but less frequent users remain skeptical. In the U.S., only 45% of daily users trust AI results a lot. Across all countries, the median share of respondents who trust AI’s results a lot is just 36%.

Emotionally, positivity outweighs negative sentiment: in 34 of the 37 countries, curiosity is the most common feeling, with fewer reporting happiness or excitement. Only about 32% of all respondents said they felt worried. Positive emotions are most widespread in China (90%), Singapore (89%), and Kenya (87%). The survey period ended in July, before the latest acceleration of AI development and before recent high-level discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, where AI safety was on the agenda. China’s head of the Ministry of State Security, Chen Yixin, has written that AI could threaten political and institutional security.

Gallup senior scientist Pablo Diego-Rosell told TechCrunch that attitudes toward AI are multidimensional: people can be curious, expect benefits, and use the tech frequently while still worrying about it, and they can see potential while doubting accuracy. The article concludes that greater exposure alone will not resolve unease, and that AI will likely keep proliferating as disputes continue over regulation and limits in hiring, healthcare, education, government, climate, cybersecurity, and creative fields.