One in seven Americans are ready for an AI boss, but they might not trust it
Poll finds 15% happy to take orders from a bot even as most question its output and fear job losses
Around 15 percent of Americans would be willing to work for an AI boss, according to a new poll that suggests while robots are not exactly welcome in the corner office, the idea no longer seems quite so far-fetched.
That still leaves a hefty majority who aren't keen on taking orders from an algorithm, and the broader mood around AI remains skeptical. The Quinnipiac University survey found Americans are more worried than excited about AI's growing role in their lives, even though they keep using it in increasing numbers.
In other words, the public appears to be embracing the tools while remaining wary of where all this is heading.
Usage, at least, is no longer in doubt. 51 percent of respondents say they've used AI to research topics, a sharp jump from last year, and 28 percent have used it to generate written content. Whatever misgivings people have, it's not enough to keep their fingers out of the prompt field.
Trust in AI remains limited. 76 percent say they trust AI-generated information hardly ever or only some of the time, while just 21 percent are willing to back it most or nearly all of the time. Those figures are largely unchanged from 2025, which is hardly an endorsement.
"The contradiction between use and trust of AI is striking. Americans are clearly adopting AI, but they are doing so with deep hesitation, not deep trust," said Chetan Jaiswal PhD, associate professor of computer science and associate chair of the department of computing at Quinnipiac University's School of Computing and Engineering.
Views are markedly more negative when it comes to jobs. Roughly 70 percent of respondents believe advances in AI will reduce the number of job opportunities, with younger Americans among the most pessimistic. That anxiety hangs over much of the rest of the findings: a sense that the technology is moving quickly, and not necessarily in workers' favor.
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Even so, the idea of an AI manager isn't a total non-starter. 15 percent may not sound like much, but it is still a notable minority. Maybe it's the promise of consistency, or just the hope that a bot won't book pointless meetings or dish out vague performance feedback.
Opposition becomes even clearer when the issue is local. By a margin of 65 percent to 24 percent, Americans oppose building an AI datacenter in their community. Among those opposed, 72 percent cite electricity costs, 64 percent water use, and 41 percent noise. Those in favor chiefly cite potential economic benefits: 77 percent cite jobs, 53 percent tax revenue, and 47 percent the chance of turning the area into a tech hub.
Elsewhere, opinions vary depending on the role AI is expected to play. Respondents are divided on its role in healthcare, but are more negative about its presence in areas such as politics and the military, and are wary of broader economic impacts. There is also a widespread sense that AI development is accelerating faster than expected, adding to public unease.
The poll suggests not outright rejection, but cautious adoption. People are experimenting with AI in everyday tasks and, in a small but growing number of cases, even entertaining the idea of reporting to it. At the same time, trust remains thin, and expectations are low. ®
