AI has failed to win people's trust. Its makers? Even less trusted

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · Aug 20, 2026 · 588 words · By Indrabati Lahiri

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What to know about AI has failed to win people's trust. Its makers? Even less trusted

Surveys on both sides of the Atlantic reveal a public more wary than wowed by AI, with distrust extending well beyond the technology and onto the tech executives promoting it.

Claims checked 15

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Surveys on both sides of the Atlantic reveal a public more wary than wowed by AI, with distrust extending well beyond the technology and onto the tech executives promoting it.

Why it matters

Despite its rapid technological advances, AI still has not won people over.

Common ground

A new study by Pew Research shows that 52% of Americans are now more concerned than excited about its growing presence in daily life — up sharply from 37% in 2021.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: AI has failed to win people's trust. Its makers? Even less trusted?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that a majority still see AI's presence at work in a positive light — 62% view it favourably, against 32% who do not?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/08/20/ai-has-failed-to-win-peoples-trust-its-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8

schedule Pending 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “a majority still see AI's presence at work in a positive light — 62% view it favourably, against 32% who do not.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “For the first time since Pew began tracking the question, 55% of adults under 30 now say they are more concerned than excited about AI — a majority.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that 55% of adults under 30 are more concerned than excited about AI, noting this as a significant increase from previous years (e.g., 2021).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An AI boom is a period of rapid growth in the field of artificial intelligence. The most recent boom happened in the 2020s before seeing increased acceleration and media coverage. Generative AI techno…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_boom

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and dec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a subfield of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses generative models to generate text, images, videos, audio, software code or other forms of data. Thes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_AI

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “A 2025 study by EY found that 42% of European employees worry AI could put their jobs at risk”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a 2025 EY study on European employees' job risk concerns.

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Claim 4: “a broader survey by Verian Group for the European Commission found that 66% of the wider public believe AI will ultimately destroy more jobs than it creates.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a Verian Group survey for the European Commission about AI destroying jobs.

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Claim 5: “A CNBC Generation Lab poll asked 1,088 respondents whether they trusted nine of the industry's most prominent leaders to act responsibly, and found that a majority distrusted every single one.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the CNBC Generation Lab poll of 1,088 respondents and the finding that a majority distrusted the AI leaders surveyed.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Claude is a series of large language models (LLMs) developed by American software company Anthropic. Claude was released as an AI-based chatbot in March 2023. It is also used in AI-assisted software d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_(AI)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kimi is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot and series of large language models developed by Chinese company Moonshot AI. Its Kimi K3, released July 2026, is the largest open weights model ever, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimi_(AI)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “84% agree that AI and robots need to be carefully managed, primarily to protect privacy and ensure transparency.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “Only 36% thought an independent expert body should be the one setting the rules for AI.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm that 36% of respondents believe an independent expert body should set the rules for AI.

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web search NEUTRAL — Forty percent said they believe the federal government must set rules for AI, while 36% said they believe an independent expert body should set the rules. Only 8% said they think AI shouldn't be regul…
https://www.techspot.com/news/113508-tech-ceos-young-people-…

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web search NEUTRAL — A CNBC/Generation Lab survey reveals young Americans' widespread distrust of AI leaders, concerns over AI's impact on jobs, economic anxiety, and rising support for democratic socialism amid uncertain…
https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/us-news/70-young…

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web search NEUTRAL — An additional 40% said they believe "the federal government" must set rules for AI, while 36% said they believe "an independent expert body" should set the rules of the game. Just 8% said they think A…
https://www.resetera.com/threads/new-cnbc-generation-lab-pol…

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Claim 8: “Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella came out relatively best, though still with 65% saying they do not trust him.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources explicitly state that 65% of respondents distrust Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gemini, also known as Google Gemini (formerly known as Bard), is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot and virtual assistant developed by Google. It is powered by the family of large language m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Gemini

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company became influential in the rise of personal computers through software like Windo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mistral AI SAS (French: [mistʁal]) is a French artificial intelligence (AI) company headquartered in Paris. Founded in 2023, it develops large language models (LLMs). As of 2025, the company has a val…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistral_AI

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Palantir CEO Alex Karp fared worst, distrusted by 81%.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that Palantir CEO Alex Karp was the most distrusted, with 81% of respondents lacking confidence in him.

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web search NEUTRAL — CNBC's Generation Labs polled over 1,000 US adults aged 18-34 and found 81% don't trust Palantir CEO Alex Karp to act responsibly on AI. Peter Thiel (79%), Zuckerberg (71%), Musk (70%), and Altman (69…
https://aiweekly.co/alerts/cnbc-poll-81-of-young-americans-d…

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web search NEUTRAL — In a new CNBC/Generation Labs survey that polled 1,088 Americans between the ages of 18 and 34, about 45% said AI would have a negative impact on their careers, compared to 10% that said it would help…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/young-americans…

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web search NEUTRAL — Palantir CEO Alex Karp ranked as the least trusted tech leader in the poll, with 81% of respondents saying they lacked confidence that he would act responsibly or prioritize the public’s best interest…
https://internewscast.com/news/us/poll-young-americans-distr…

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Claim 10: “55% of EU citizens expected AI to shape daily life positively over the next 20 years, against 35% who anticipated the opposite.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “Just 9% feel more excited than concerned, while the remaining 37% are torn evenly between the two.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm the specific breakdown: 9% more excited than concerned and 37% equally excited and concerned.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Generation Beta, often shortened to Gen Beta, is the proposed name for the demographic cohort succeeding Generation Alpha. The name was coined by futurist and demographer Mark McCrindle, who also coin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Beta

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “A new study by Pew Research shows that 52% of Americans are now more concerned than excited about its growing presence in daily life — up sharply from 37% in 2021.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm the Pew Research study finding that 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI. While one source mentions a 2% rise over last year, the 52% figure is consistently reported.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Samuel Harris Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and investor who has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI since 2019. Altman atte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Altman

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “Anthropic's Dario Amodei and Alphabet's Sundar Pichai were not far behind, both distrusted by around 75% of respondents.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei was distrusted by about 75%. While Sundar Pichai is mentioned in the context of the poll, the specific 75% figure for both is supported by the 'Tech CEOs Overwhelmingly Distrusted' source.

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web search NEUTRAL — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei: about 75% distrusted.And while we’re on the subject, 45% of respondents think AI’s impact on their careers will be negative, while only 10% believe its impact will be posit…
https://gizmodo.com/tech-ceos-overwhelmingly-distrusted-by-y…

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Claim 14: “half of Europeans surveyed by Verian agreed that AI could help tackle major global challenges, from serious diseases to climate change.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “More than 60% of Europeans say they do not feel informed about the potential risks of using AI in scientific research.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.