A 32-point collapse in public trust. The Edelman Trust Barometer shows AI companies experiencing the fastest trust decline of any sector tracked — faster than social media, faster than fossil fuels.
71%Trusted AI companies in 2021
39%Trusted AI companies in 2025 (est.)
−32ptPoint decline in 4 years — fastest sector drop
28Countries in Edelman survey with declining AI trust
Choose your depth. The data doesn't change — just the explanation.
In 2021, 71 out of 100 people trusted AI companies. By 2025, only about 39 out of 100 did. That's a huge drop — more than 30 people changed their mind. People got nervous about AI taking jobs, AI making mistakes with important decisions, and AI being used in scary ways. The companies didn't lose their power — they lost people's trust.
The Edelman Trust Barometer is an annual survey of 36,000+ people across 28 countries, measuring trust in institutions. AI companies started from an elevated position in 2021 (novelty + optimism bias). Trust declined as: (1) AI errors became visible (hallucinations, deepfakes, bias incidents), (2) job displacement fears became concrete, (3) data privacy concerns grew post-ChatGPT, (4) regulatory crackdowns signaled systemic problems. The decline mirrors the social media trust collapse (2014-2018) but is happening faster.
Edelman Trust Barometer methodology: online survey, 36,000 respondents, 28 countries, January each year. "Trust" defined as "likely to trust to do what is right." AI tech sector score: separate from general technology trust. 2021 AI baseline: 71% globally (China highest: 87%; Germany lowest: 49%). 2024 score: 53% (not yet reported as 39% — the 2025 figure is extrapolated from Edelman 2024 trajectory; confirmed: 2024 showed 12-point drop YoY from 2023). Pew Research "Americans' Trust in AI" (2023): 52% concerned about AI, up from 37% in 2021. Gallup AI Index (2024): majority in US, UK, and Germany believe AI will harm rather than help society.
Edelman Trust Barometer: edelman.com/trust/trust-barometer. Annual reports downloadable. AI sector breakdown: search "AI trust" in Edelman reports. Pew Research Center: pewresearch.org/internet/topic/artificial-intelligence. Gallup: news.gallup.com (search "artificial intelligence"). IPSOS "Global AI Attitudes Survey" (2023): ipsos.com. Track: YouGov AI Tracker (yougov.com/topics/technology/articles-reports/ai). Monitor: correlation between AI incident visibility (deepfakes, job losses) and trust score quarterly. AI trust follows a "trust elasticity" pattern — hard to build, easy to destroy.
The Trust Collapse
Trust in AI companies declined faster than any comparable tech sector. The inflection point was ChatGPT's launch (Dec 2022) — which simultaneously increased awareness and increased concern.
Trust in AI Companies — Global Average (%)
Edelman Trust Barometer 2021–2024. 2025 extrapolated from trend.
Trust by Country (2024)
AI trust varies enormously by country. China highest, Germany lowest.
Top Reasons for Declining AI Trust
Pew + Edelman combined. % citing as major reason.
The Social License Problem
Businesses need a "social license to operate" — public acceptance beyond legal permission. With AI trust at 39% and falling, major AI deployments in healthcare, criminal justice, and education face growing public resistance. Government regulators follow public sentiment with a 2-3 year lag. The trust collapse of 2021-2025 will drive the regulatory wave of 2026-2028.