Daily AI users are +57. Everyone else is −42. A 99-point gap — the widest behavioral divide in American public opinion.

The Numbers Findings 01 — 06

The Power User Lead.

Daily AI users in the U.S. favor AI by +57 points. Rare or never users: −42. The 99-point spread is wider than every other split tested in the same survey — gender (26 pts), race (32 pts), age (35 pts), or party (~14 pts). It is not a permanent divide. It is a preview.

Source: Data for Progress, Feb. 2026, n=1,228

The Power User Consensus on Jobs.

Among daily AI users, 73% expect AI to improve jobs. Among Americans who do not use AI regularly, only 23% agree. A 50-point conviction gap on the most consequential question of the next decade.

Source: Pew Research Center, April 2025 · Stanford HAI 2026

The Personal Conviction.

75% of daily users say AI will personally benefit them. Among non-users: 24%. The Power User population is, in effect, already living inside a different consumer reality — one of optimism, productivity gain, and personal advantage.

Source: Pew Research Center, April 2025

Faster Than the Internet.

Generative AI reached 39.4% of U.S. adults in two years — outpacing the personal computer and the internet at the same stage. Adoption is accelerating, not plateauing. Each new Power User narrows the 99-point gap by themselves.

Source: Harvard / Bick, Blandin & Deming, 2024

The World Has Already Decided.

Globally, 59% say AI's benefits outweigh its drawbacks — up from 55% in 2024. In emerging Asia, optimism runs at levels Americans have not seen on any technology in a generation. The U.S. (39%) ranks near the bottom of 32 countries — but optimism is rising fastest in previously skeptical markets.

Source: Stanford HAI 2026 · Ipsos AI Monitor

The Defining Shift of This Era.

Americans rank AI as more transformative than smartphones, cybersecurity, electric vehicles, GLP-1s, or robotics. 67% expect AI to reshape daily life within five years. The disagreement is not whether — only when each person decides to step into it.

Source: Ipsos AI Monitor, March 2026