Tech industry trust falls from 77 percent to 48 percent
Public confidence in the technology sector has declined sharply over the past 15 years, with recent surveys showing ratings dropping to 48 percent. This long-term erosion of trust now creates a significant headwind for the adoption of generative AI.
The technology industry has experienced a substantial decline in public trust over the last 15 years, a trend that now complicates the reception of new AI tools. In 2013, Edelman's Global Trust Survey ranked technology as the most trusted industry at 77 percent. By 2019, Pew found that only 50 percent of Americans believed tech companies had a positive effect on the country, down from 71 percent in 2015. Gallup ratings indicate that the computer industry peaked at 75 percent positive in 2017 before falling to 48 percent in 2026. The internet industry also saw a sharp reversal, shifting from 59 percent positive in 2017 to net negative by 2021, with 35 percent positive ratings versus 40 percent negative. This sustained erosion of trust is described as a handicap for generative AI, which entered public consciousness with negative perceptions inherited from previous tech platforms and leaders. The decline is attributed to a 15-year trajectory of negative perceptions regarding money and power, which now colors the reception of AI technologies. Generative AI came into public consciousness with a handicap handed down from the perceptions of previous technology platforms, movements, and leaders that had nothing to do with AI.