46% of voters negative on AI
A 2026 NBC poll found 46% of registered voters hold negative feelings toward AI, versus only 26% positive.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Fixing AI's Branding Problem + Advice for Anxious Public Speakers
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Jul 20, 2026
Where this was said
AI Trust Data: The Adoption-Trust Paradox
At 8:08 · chapter starts 7:48
This section is pure Galloway data-journalist mode. A 2026 NBC poll shows 46% of registered voters hold negative feelings toward AI versus only 26% positive. Pew finds just 10% of US adults are more excited than concerned, while 50% are more concerned — up from 37% in 2021 [1] — Scott Galloway "Two-thirds of people globally use AI regularly, but willingness to trust it has fallen from 52% to 43% since 2022. Only 10% of US adults ar…" 08:08 . Yet two-thirds of people globally use AI regularly, revealing a striking paradox: usage keeps climbing even as trust collapses. Galloway then offers two historical analogies. Nuclear power's brand fell to 49% public support in 2019 but bounced to 61% by 2025 — not from PR, but because Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon needed nuclear for their AI data centers, making the technology feel necessary again [2] — Scott Galloway "Nuclear power's support fell to 49% in 2019 but climbed back to 61% by 2025 — not through a PR campaign, but because tech giants needed it …" 09:25 . The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal provides the second case: privacy trust cratered from 79% to 28%, yet Facebook's monthly active user count still grew 2%. The implication is unsettling — brand damage rarely kills the economics, so AI companies may not even need to fix the trust problem to survive.
AI Trust Stats: The Adoption-Trust Paradox
Two-thirds of people globally use AI regularly, but willingness to trust it has fallen from 52% to 43% since 2022. Only 10% of US adults are more excited than concerned. The gap between what people use and what they trust is widening fast.
Only 10% excited about AI
Pew Research found only 10% of US adults say they're more excited than concerned about AI in daily life.
Concerned about AI: 50% vs 37% in 2021
Pew found 50% of US adults are more concerned than excited about AI in daily life, up from 37% in 2021.
Two-thirds use AI globally
Two-thirds of people globally use AI regularly, but only half are willing to trust it, and just 39% in advanced economies.
AI trust fell: 52% to 43%
Since 2022, willingness to rely on AI has fallen from 52% to 43% even as adoption has surged.
The Nuclear Playbook: How AI Can Earn Back Trust
Nuclear power's support fell to 49% in 2019 but climbed back to 61% by 2025 — not through a PR campaign, but because tech giants needed it for AI data centers. AI's redemption arc, if it comes, will follow the same path: necessity first, understanding second.
Nuclear support: 49% to 61% by 2025
Support for nuclear power fell to 49% in 2019 but recovered to 61% by 2025, driven not by PR but by necessity as tech companies pledged nuclear power for AI data centers.
Facebook privacy trust: 79% to 28%
After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, belief that Facebook was committed to privacy collapsed from 79% to 28%, yet the user base barely moved.
Similar snapshots
Ad monetization for games
Ad-based monetization works well for game apps where users spend extended time in-session, as seen with Grid and Wordle.
Ads don't work for tool apps
Tool-focused apps like PuffCount are poor candidates for ad monetization because users don't stay in-session long enough.
Hard paywall is unskippable
A hard paywall is a screen that blocks all app features unless the user pays or starts a free trial — it cannot be dismissed.
Two core monetization models
Mobile apps are primarily monetized through either ads (best for games) or in-app purchases/subscriptions (best for tools).
YouTube beats every other platform
According to the episode, YouTube outperforms every other social platform for building trust and driving SaaS conversions.
Most users came from YouTube
Vasco stated that the majority of his app's user base came directly from his YouTube channel.
Boost My Domain Rating button
SEO Bot features a 'Boost My Domain Rating' button that routes users directly to Listing Bot, an example of in-product cross-selling.
All products connected to AI
The founder's entire product portfolio is AI-related, making it easier to package products attractively for directories.
AI coding viability debate as hook
The founder attached their SaaS demo to the trending debate about whether AI coding is actually good enough to build a full SaaS product.
