57% of Americans Say AI's Risks Outweigh the Benefits. Usage Is Still Up.

AI now has a lower net favorability rating than Trump, ICE, and the Republican Party. Net favorability sits at negative 20%, 57% of Americans say the risks outweigh the benefits, and only 18% of young people feel hopeful about it at all. Usage is still up, from 48% to 56% of Americans using it daily.

We read the Reuters/Ipsos polling data and watched Scott Galloway's Diary of a CEO appearance so you don't have to. The six factors driving the backlash: AI slop flooding every feed (McDonald's Netherlands pulled an AI Christmas ad after public backlash; Blue Apron went viral for AI copy that was pure gibberish), 55,000 job cuts blamed on AI in 2025 (12 times the number from two years earlier), a Pope writing 42,000 words calling for AI disarmament, 71% of Americans opposing data centers in their communities, three in four teens using AI as companions while only 37% of parents know, and now three of the leading labs (OpenAI, xAI, and Anthropic) racing toward IPO and needing a product they can monetize immediately.

Mark Zuckerberg used AI as cover to cut jobs this week. California just signed executive order N-6-26, what looks like the first AI worker protection order of its kind from a U.S. state. Galloway's argument is the one that makes the backlash make sense: this isn't just a technology story, it's a wealth transfer story. The people with capital, networks, and seniority get faster and more powerful. Everyone else gets the layoff headline.

If this technology was built for everyone, why does it keep landing hardest on the people who can least afford it?

ABOUT SLOP WORLD

AI news with receipts. Juan Faisal and Kate Cook fact-check the claims Big Tech is making about AI, follow the money, and break down what it actually means for your job, your data, and your daily life. From leaked data and corporate cover-ups to AI schools, stolen identities, and layoff headlines that don't add up, we cover the AI stories that everyone's hyping but nobody's verifying. New episodes every Thursday.

DISCLAIMER

All content is commentary and opinion based on publicly available documents, interviews, and verifiable sources. References to "scams," "grifts," or related terms reflect our editorial opinion, not legal conclusions. Anyone featured who believes a statement is inaccurate may contact us.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Americans Hate AI But Can't Stop Using It

01:20 The Slop Takeover: When AI Pollution Goes Mainstream

03:13 55,000 Jobs Cut — And It's 12x Worse Than Two Years Ago

05:56 It's Not the Technology People Hate

07:22 Mark Zuckerberg Just Made the Backlash Worse

09:18 California Signs the First AI Worker Protection Order

09:49 The Scott Galloway Take That Makes the Backlash Make Sense

11:19 AI Companions Are Breaking Kids' Brains

13:49 You Didn't Get to Vote for Any of This

15:32 AI Was Not Built for Everyone

17:43 70% of Americans Think AI Is Moving Too Fast (Both Parties)

19:55 The IPO Rush Is Making Everything Worse

20:50 What Should You Actually Do About It

22:17 Regulation and Education: The Only Two Fixes That Matter