The development and deployment of artificial intelligence across industries has been one of the defining stories of the year, characterized by soaring market valuations, rapid data center expansion and non-stop enterprise experimentation. But the craze for artificial intelligence also has an underbelly, a deep unease about the technology’s impact on jobs and a lack of understanding of the benefits for ordinary consumers.
Released today, the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Snap Poll: Trust and AI at the Crossroads, conducted in five countries (Brazil, China, Germany, UK, US), shows that trust in AI is at an inflection point. In fact, across the three developed markets surveyed, acceptance of AI correlates with trust, with attitudes fluctuating by an average of a hundred percentage points from those who distrust and reject the technology to those who trust and accept the technology.
There are four important trust gaps in AI: geography; industry; income; and age.
- Enthusiasm is much higher in developing markets such as Brazil and China Compared with German, British and American respondents, Americans are three times more likely to reject AI (49%) than accept it (17%), while the opposite is true in China, where almost 5.5 times more Americans are accepting AI (54%) than reject it (10%).
- Our industry survey results are surprisingEmployees in technology (3.5 to 1) and financial services (1.5 to 1) embrace AI at work, and those in retail, manufacturing, and healthcare are ambivalent, while those in education (1.5 to 1), food (1.5 to 1), and transportation reject AI (2 to 1).
- There’s a huge mass class divide in AI in developed markets71% of Britons and 65% of Americans in the bottom income quartile believe they will be left behind rather than realize any advantages of the new generation of AI. Importantly, half of middle-class and nearly half of upper-income U.S. respondents also believe they will be left behind if the net benefits of AI are not realized.
- Not surprisingly, the youngest groups are the most supportive Artificial Intelligence; in the UK there is a 41 percentage point difference between the 18-34 and 55+ generation (59% trust AI compared to 18%), while in the US only 40% of younger generations trust AI, possibly due to a slow entry-level job market.
How to bridge differences?
The most powerful driver of enthusiasm for artificial intelligence is information. Personal experience does pay off; when Gen AI helped me understand complex ideas, trust rose by almost 40 points in most markets, including almost 50 points in the UK. Gen AI is also credited with completing work faster and enhancing creative skills.
Among respondents who are resistant to AI, we find little evidence that they have had very negative personal experiences (less than 20%). Those who avoid the technology do so out of data concerns, not because of threats. We found strong data points about truth and transparency; in developed countries, two-thirds or more of respondents believe business leaders may not be completely honest with employees about the impact of AI on their jobs.
Who should take the lead in building trust in AI?
it Must be my employerrespondents’ satisfaction with their employer’s use of artificial intelligence is on average 1.5X higher than that of general enterprises, and twice that of the government. Employees are 2.5 times more likely to embrace AI if they believe they are experiencing increased job security rather than the threat of job instability (50% vs. 21%). Employees also want to feel that their acceptance of AI is voluntary rather than mandatory; two-thirds of AI distrusters in the UK and US believe AI is being forced upon them.
There is a mass class divide In the workplace, only a quarter of non-managers regularly use AI, while nearly two-thirds of functional managers use AI. The secret to earning trust is when employees discover that AI is helping them find work solutions, doubling their trust in the underlying technology in some markets. Employers need to use peer-to-peer communication on AI rather than top-down correspondence, and “people like me” are on average twice as likely to be trusted to tell the truth about AI than CEOs or government leaders. Access to high-quality training programs for the effective use of AI is also a priority for workplaces; this is also supported by all political factions.
Lingering concerns in advanced economies are slowing the adoption of artificial intelligence. This is due to job losses caused by globalization and declining trust in leaders and experts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as rampant disinformation. However, there is a strong counter-signal. Respondents said they would be willing to use agent AI for finance, healthcare, major purchases and job hunting if they trusted the technology, by an average of 5.5 to 1.
Artificial intelligence is changing daily life at an unprecedented rate, so companies must create the conditions for its acceptance. AI company CEO’s speech should embrace Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s simplicityfour freedomswhich he articulated in the aftermath of the Great Depression. Freedom of speech and expression. Worship freedom. Freedom from want. Freedom from fear. Trust will drive the growth of AI, but only through actions that earn it, from training to job transformation. The tech industry and anyone seeking to harness artificial intelligence needs to take this special report seriously, as there is no divine right to embrace innovation.
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This story was originally published on wealth network