Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a technology trend on the horizon. It’s embedded in the tools people use at work, the apps on their phones, and the news cycle that greets them every morning. And yet, for all the coverage and conversation around AI, one question has remained surprisingly hard to answer with real data: How do Americans actually feel about it?
That’s exactly what we set out to find out.
Why We Built the AI Sentiment Index
At Metrigy, we’ve spent years researching how technology reshapes businesses and the people who run them. As AI has accelerated from an emerging capability to an operational reality, we kept seeing the same gap: plenty of vendor announcements, a plethora of headlines, but not enough, longitudinal insight into how everyday Americans (workers, professionals, retirees, students) are experiencing and thinking about AI.
So, we built the AI Sentiment Index. The index is based a quarterly tracking study designed to capture the evolving relationship between AI and human experience, across demographic groups, over time.
How the Index Works
The AI Sentiment Index is a longitudinal framework, which means it’s built to track change, not just capture a single snapshot. Each quarter, we survey a representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults, with distribution across regions, age groups, income levels, and education backgrounds to ensure the data holds up.
The index centers on six questions regarding AI’s impact on personal life, society, and the economy. Respondents evaluate the current state of these areas and predict how they will evolve over the next one to two years. We use a diffusion index methodology, a standard approach in economic and sentiment tracking that goes beyond simple averages. Rather than just reporting how many people feel positive or negative, we weight the intensity of those feelings, giving extra emphasis when a large concentration of respondents feels strongly in either direction.
The result is both a current sentiment score and a forward-looking sentiment score, which we average into the overall AI Sentiment Index rating. The Q1 2026 data serves as our baseline, the starting point against which every future quarter will be measured. As we collect more waves of data, we’ll be able to identify meaningful shifts in sentiment and connect them to what’s happening in the broader AI landscape.
What the First Wave Tells Us
Our inaugural report tells a mixed story. Sentiment toward AI is broadly positive, yet that consensus is cracking. Demographic, economic, and generational divides are widening in ways that are hard to ignore.
People who use AI regularly tend to find it genuinely useful, often reporting that it helps them learn, get more done, and accomplish things they couldn’t previously have undertaken. At the same time, a significant portion of the population harbors real concerns—about privacy, job security, the pace of development, and whether they can trust what AI produces. The emotions people associate with AI run the full spectrum, from excitement and hope to skepticism and fear, and no single feeling dominates.
Perhaps most notably, the benefits of AI are not being felt equally. Higher earners, more educated workers, and mid-career professionals are experiencing AI as a productivity multiplier. Younger workers entering the job market and lower-income individuals are more likely to see it as a threat. These divides aren’t incidental. They reflect structural realities about who AI is currently built for and who bears its risks.
Shadow AI—i.e., the use of AI tools at work without employer knowledge or approval—is widespread and raising real cybersecurity concerns that organizations can’t afford to ignore.
These are exactly the kinds of signals that business and IT leaders need on their radar.
How the Index Will Evolve
This first report sets the baseline. Beginning with Q2 2026, we’ll compare each new wave of data against it, tracking directional shifts in how Americans feel as new AI capabilities emerge, regulations take shape, and real-world impacts (both positive and negative) become more visible.
While we’ll add varying questions as the AI market evolves, the six core index questions will remain consistent throughout 2026 at minimum. That consistency is what makes longitudinal tracking meaningful.
Read the Report
The AI Sentiment Index overview report is available now and free to read. It covers the key findings from our inaugural wave, including the methodology behind the index, how we calculated the scores, and what the data reveals across demographics.
Metrigy clients have access to the full detailed report, which goes deeper into the cross-tabulations, demographic breakdowns, and analysis behind the headline findings.
If you’re not yet a client and want access to the full data, reach out to our team. We’d love to talk.
Metrigy is an innovative research and advisory firm focused on AI, customer experience, and workplace collaboration. Learn more at metrigy.com.
