(MENAFN- PRovoke) NEW YORK - Edelman's latest research shows that while AI continues to spread across business and daily life, public trust in the technology is not keeping pace.

“Trust is the missing ingredient in the AI boom,” CEO Richard Edelman writes. In an essay accompanying the report, the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Flash Poll: Trust and Artificial Intelligence at a Crossroads, he warns“there is no divine right of acceptance of innovation,” underscoring that AI adoption will depend on whether people feel informed, protected and included in the transition.

Based on responses from more than 5,000 people in five countries (Brazil, China, Germany, the UK and the US), the research finds that rejection of AI outweighs enthusiasm across markets. The report shows that 49% of US respondents say they reject the growing use of AI, compared with 17% who embrace it. China shows the opposite pattern, with 54% embracing AI and 10% rejecting it, while Brazil is also more positive toward the technology. Germany and the UK mirror US skepticism.

The poll also uncovers divides across industries. Employees in technology and financial services are more likely to accept AI at work, while those working in food and transport are more likely to reject it.

Economic anxieties are a consistent theme. In the UK, 71% of respondents in the lowest income quartile believe they will be left behind by AI, and 65% of low-income Americans say the same. Nearly half of middle- and high-income Americans also feel they may not see net benefit, highlighting concern that AI's gains will not be shared evenly.

Age produces additional differences. In the UK, there is a 40-point gap between trust levels among 18–34-year-olds and those 55 and older. In the US, only 40% of younger adults say they trust AI despite being frequent users.

The data also points to the power of personal experience. When respondents say AI has helped them understand complex ideas, trust rises substantially compared with those who say AI had no impact. Very few report negative personal experiences with AI, even among those resistant to adoption, a finding Edelman highlights in arguing that transparency and exposure drive acceptance.

Workplace expectations shape attitudes as well. Across markets, respondents are more comfortable with their employer using AI than with business in general, government or media. At the same time, majorities in the US and UK believe business leaders will not be fully honest about the impact of AI on jobs.

Usage patterns underscore the emerging talent divide. Only one in four non-managers uses AI weekly or more, compared with two-thirds of managers, pointing to an early skills gap that could deepen without widespread training.

Trust also determines whether people would rely on more advanced, autonomous systems. Respondents who trust AI are several times more likely than distrusters to consider delegating tasks such as major purchases, job searches, healthcare decisions or financial management to agentic AI.

Edelman concludes that AI acceptance will depend on“actions earning trust,” citing Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms to argue that adoption requires transparency, training and equitable distribution of benefits. Without that, he writes, innovation alone will not be enough to win public confidence.

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