# Why Only 23% of Americans Support AI in 2026

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/agi-advance-grow-innovate-with-ai-7324503/why-only-23-of-americans-support-ai-in-2026
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/agi-advance-grow-innovate-with-ai-7324503/why-only-23-of-americans-support-ai-in-2026.md
Podcast: [AGI - Advance, Grow, Innovate with AI](https://stenobird.com/podcast/agi-advance-grow-innovate-with-ai-7324503)
Published: 2026-04-20T00:19:58+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/agi-podcasters/episodes/Why-Only-23-of-Americans-Support-AI-in-2026-e3i4uib
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/102cca29c/podcast/play/118700043/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-3-19%2F422393823-44100-2-d4e85e9b26eaa.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/agi-advance-grow-innovate-with-ai-7324503/episodes/why-only-23-of-americans-support-ai-in-2026
Duration seconds: 1855

## Resource

Only 23% of Americans have a positive view of AI in 2026, about the same approval rating as ICE. Jason Padgett and Julie Koehrer dig into why the gap between foundation-model leaders and the public is widening, and why Jason argues the fix isn't UBI, it's equity. Key topics covered:- The April 6 shooting of Indiana Councilman Ron Gibson's house (13 rounds, "No Data Centers" note) and the Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's home on April 10- Why Sam Altman's "philosopher kings" narrative and Dario Amodei's 50% white-collar job loss warnings are making the backlash worse- How Demis Hassabis and AlphaFold prove drug discovery was the smarter first move for AI- Maine's data center moratorium vs. New Hampshire's "compute free or die" constitutional proposal- Why Trump's $1,000 newborn S&P 500 account is a model for AI profit-sharing- The buy-in vs. UBI argument: Americans want equity in the systems they help train- The Enhanced Games in Vegas on Memorial Day, Pascal's Wager applied to longevity, and whether you'd upload your consciousness- Brain-computer interfaces, space colonization, and the solar punk movementBottom line: AI's PR problem isn't about the technology. It's about who owns the upside. About Julie Koehrer: On-Air Personality at Lafayette Q106.7 | 15+ years in radio and broadcast | Lafayette, Indiana | https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliekoehrer/ Work with Jason → jason@mycitizen.ai🌐 https://www.phoenixsolutionsgroup.org/Newsletter → https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7399599285849346048 AGI Podcast shows:School's Out Saturdays: AI in education, K-12 through universityWeekly Blitz: AI news every Monday, 30-45 minutesThe Vibe: Deep conversations, no time limitAll platforms: https://linktr.ee/AGIPodcast…

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