A comprehensive new study conducted by Gallup in partnership with Microsoft indicates that despite high-profile warnings regarding the risks of autonomous systems, the majority of the global population views the rise of artificial intelligence with hope rather than dread. The findings, released as part of an expansive multi-year research initiative, suggest that curiosity and a belief in technological progress are currently overshadowing the "doom and gloom" narratives that often dominate Western media headlines.
The Gallup-Microsoft AI survey, published on September 23, 2026, represents one of the most significant attempts to quantify global sentiment toward generative AI and machine learning. Based on fieldwork conducted across 37 countries in the first half of the year, the data shows that positive emotions regarding AI outweigh negative ones in 34 of those nations. This initial report is the first phase of a broader project that Gallup intends to expand to 140 countries, providing a truly global map of the digital divide and the psychological landscape of the AI revolution.
Researchers found that 72 percent of adults who are aware of AI reported at least one positive emotion toward the technology. In contrast, only 41 percent reported a negative emotion. The data suggests that while the public is not blind to the risks, the prevailing mood is one of guarded interest. As developers like OpenAI, Google, and Meta continue to integrate these tools into everyday software, the public appears more inclined to explore the benefits than to retreat from the challenges.
The Global Landscape of AI Sentiment
The primary driver of the positive sentiment identified in the Gallup poll reveals widespread global AI optimism is curiosity. A median of 64 percent of respondents across the 37 countries surveyed said that AI makes them feel curious about the future. This suggests that for much of the world, AI is still viewed as a frontier of possibility—a tool that might solve complex problems in medicine, education, and infrastructure.
However, the emotional response is far from monolithic. While curiosity led the charts, worry remained the most prevalent negative emotion, cited by a median of 32 percent of respondents. The survey highlights a clear distinction between "AI awareness" and "AI usage." Many individuals who have never interacted with a chatbot or an image generator still hold strong opinions about the technology’s potential to reshape their national economies.
The 37 countries included in this initial release represent a diverse cross-section of the global economy, from the high-tech hubs of North America and East Asia to emerging markets in Africa and the Middle East. The three notable exceptions to the trend of optimism were the United States, Egypt, and Palestine, where negative sentiments were more pronounced or balanced against positive views.
The Great Divergence: China vs. the United States
One of the most striking revelations of the study is the massive gap in perception between the world’s two leading AI superpowers. The Gallup poll reveals widespread global AI optimism in China, where an overwhelming 93 percent of respondents said they believe AI will mostly help their country. This reflects a deep-seated cultural and political confidence in technological solutions and perhaps a more aggressive integration of AI into the Chinese public sphere.
In stark contrast, the United States ranked near the bottom of the list regarding the perceived national benefit of AI. Only 36 percent of Americans believe the technology will be a net positive for the country, placing the U.S. just above Egypt and Bangladesh in terms of national optimism. This skepticism persists despite the fact that many of the world’s most prominent AI companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley.
This divergence may be attributed to different national dialogues. While the Chinese discourse often focuses on national competitiveness and efficiency, the American conversation is frequently centered on job displacement, the erosion of privacy, and the ethical dangers of "black box" algorithms. The U.S. also leads the world in AI-related anxiety, with 74 percent of AI-aware Americans reporting that the technology makes them feel worried.
Usage vs. Perception: The Knowledge Gap in Emerging Markets
The data reveals a fascinating disconnect between how much people use AI and how much they trust it to improve their lives. In many developing nations, optimism is high despite relatively low adoption rates. Nigeria serves as a primary example: 68 percent of AI-aware adults in the country expect the technology to help their nation, yet only 20 percent reported having actually used AI tools.
This suggests that in emerging economies, AI is often viewed through the lens of "leapfrog technology"—much like mobile banking or cellular networks—that could allow developing nations to bypass traditional stages of industrial growth. The hope is that AI will provide high-level medical diagnostics, personalized tutoring, and agricultural optimization in regions where human experts are in short supply.
Conversely, in the United States, usage is high but optimism remains suppressed. According to supplemental data from a Pew Research Center survey published in 2025, 62 percent of Americans interact with AI several times a week, and 31 percent do so "almost constantly." Despite this high level of familiarity, the American public remains the most skeptical of the technology’s long-term benefits, suggesting that increased exposure to AI does not automatically lead to increased approval.
Trust, Accuracy, and the Problem of AI Hallucinations
A critical hurdle for the widespread adoption of AI remains the issue of trust in information accuracy. The Gallup poll reveals widespread global AI optimism regarding the utility of the technology, but not necessarily its reliability. A median of only 36 percent of respondents across all surveyed countries said they trust AI "completely" or "a lot" to provide accurate information.
Majorities expressed high levels of trust in only four countries: Israel, Vietnam, China, and Nigeria. In most other regions, the public remains wary of "AI hallucinations"—instances where large language models generate false or misleading information with high confidence. This skepticism is well-founded, as high-profile incidents of AI-generated misinformation have plagued platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Google Search over the past year.
The study did find that trust tends to increase with frequency of use. In the U.S., 45 percent of daily AI users trust the accuracy of the information they receive, compared to a mere 8 percent of those who have never used the technology. However, Gallup analysts noted that it is difficult to determine the direction of this relationship: it remains unclear whether people use AI more because they trust it, or if they grow to trust it simply because it has become a regular part of their workflow.
Why Wealthy Western Nations Lead in AI Anxiety
The Gallup poll reveals widespread global AI optimism is least prevalent in wealthy, Western nations. Following the United States, countries like the Netherlands and Canada reported some of the highest levels of worry. This phenomenon may be linked to the "status quo" risk—individuals in developed economies have more to lose from a radical disruption of the labor market.
In these nations, the conversation around AI is often dominated by the potential for white-collar job displacement. While previous waves of automation targeted manual labor, generative AI has the potential to automate tasks in legal services, accounting, software engineering, and creative writing. This creates a unique form of "tech-anxiety" among the middle and upper classes that is less prevalent in regions where the technology is seen as a way to build new industries rather than replace old ones.
Furthermore, Western nations have a more robust and critical media environment that has focused heavily on the existential risks of AI, including the potential for deepfakes to disrupt elections and the loss of human agency in decision-making processes. This constant exposure to the "worst-case scenarios" likely contributes to the 74 percent worry rate seen in the American cohort.
Economic Implications and the Future of Global Labor
The findings of this survey have significant implications for global policymakers and business leaders. The fact that the Gallup poll reveals widespread global AI optimism in most of the world suggests that there is a massive, untapped appetite for AI integration in the global south. Companies that can tailor their AI solutions to the needs of these optimistic markets may find a more receptive audience than they do in the skeptical West.
For governments, the data highlights the need for nuanced regulation. In the U.S., where worry is high, the focus of legislation is likely to remain on safety, transparency, and labor protections. In countries like China and Nigeria, the focus may remain on rapid deployment and infrastructure building to capitalize on public enthusiasm.
As Gallup prepares to expand its fieldwork to 140 countries, the global community will gain a clearer picture of how these attitudes evolve. If AI continues to struggle with accuracy and hallucinations, the current wave of curiosity could quickly turn into a wave of disillusionment. However, if the technology begins to deliver on its promise of increased productivity and solved problems, the optimism seen in this report could become the foundation of a new global era of digital transformation.
The transition is already underway, and while the "doom and gloom" narrative remains a staple of cultural critique, the actual people living through the AI revolution appear ready—and even eager—to see what happens next. The challenge for the tech industry will be to maintain that curiosity by addressing the stubborn problems of inaccuracy and bias that still haunt the current generation of AI tools.
