More than half of Americans said they had used an artificial-intelligence platform in the past two to three months, according to a new poll.
Yet when respondents were asked to rate their feelings toward the technology, AI ranked near the bottom of the list.
The survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted by NBC News in partnership with Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies, from February 27 through March 3.
Just 26% of registered voters view AI positively, while 46% say they view it negatively, yielding a net favorability score of minus 20 points.
AI’s net favorability trailed Immigration and Customs Enforcement at -18, the Republican Party at -14, President Trump at -12, Kamala Harris at -17, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom at -18.
Only the Democratic Party, at -22, and Iran, at -53, ranked lower.
Usage figures, however, point to a different trend. Some 56% of respondents said they had used an AI platform such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini in the past few months, up from 53% in August 2025 and 48% in December 2024.
The data indicate Americans are adopting the tools even as their views of the technology remain lukewarm.
The poll also asked whether the benefits of artificial intelligence outweigh the risks. A majority of respondents, 57%, said the risks outweigh the benefits, while 34% said the opposite.
Trust is lowest in healthcare and finance, sectors where AI is also expanding fastest. A Quinnipiac University survey from April 2025 found that just 4% of Americans think they can trust AI-generated information almost all the time, and nearly three-quarters said the government should intervene to prevent AI-caused job losses.
The NBC data also show a sharp partisan gap in how the question about AI governance is framed: Democrats trust the U.S. to regulate AI at lower rates than Republicans, while Democrats are more likely to trust the EU with the task—a reversal of the usual pattern on foreign institutions.
Overall, most Americans think neither party is good at handling AI policies, with 33% saying both are bad, 4% unsure, and 24% saying they do a similar job.
But despite that perception, politicians have not slowed down their interest in AI.
President Trump is pushing for tighter controls on AI hardware, while lawmakers are exploring ways to expand domestic AI industries without alienating voters.
