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A new study from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania found that Americans view artificial intelligence (AI) scientists and scientists more negatively than climate scientists and scientists in general. The findings are based on a national survey exploring how AI can compare it to other scientific disciplines beyond key indicators of reliability.
Research published in pnas nexusrecognition assessed using factors that evaluate the science self-presentation (FASS) framework. This rubric evaluates reliability, prudence, bias, self-correction, and perceived benefits. Compared to general science and climate science, AI was not too poor, especially in the realm of prudence. Respondents expressed concern that AI researchers are cautious, particularly when it comes to preventing unintended consequences.
Over time, there is no improvement in AI recognition
To determine whether public skepticism is becoming unfamiliar with technology, researchers looked at changes in perception between 2024 and 2025. The persistence of negative views suggests that familiarity alone does not necessarily lead to greater public acceptance.
Climate science is still politically polarized. AI isn't like that
Previous research has shown that political ideology strongly influences attitudes towards specific scientific disciplines. For example, climate science in the United States has been shaped by partisan debate, and confidence in medicine has diminished among Republicans following the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this study found that AI science is not currently an object of the same level of political sector. Political Spectrum respondents hold relatively similar views on AI scientists, indicating that the field has not yet been politicized.
Methodology and authors
The findings are based on data from a national probability sample of adults in the United States. The study was co-authored by Dror Walter, an associate professor of digital communication at Georgia State University and a fellow APPC Distinguished Research. Yotam Ophir, Associate Professor of Communications at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York. Patrick E. Jamieson, Director of APPC's Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of Annenberg Public Policy Center.
reference: Public perceptions of Walter D, Ophir Y, Jamieson PE, and others of AI science and scientists are relatively negative, but less politicized than general and climate science. pnas nexus. 2025. doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf163
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