One-third of consumers don't want AI on their devices, report finds, and it's not because they don't understand it: They just don't need it

It's not uncommon to hear executives at AI companies and other such boosters say that the public has been slow to embrace the glories of AI because they just don't understand it. A new report by consumer research firm Circana suggests that's actually not the case, however, finding that among people who don't want AI on their devices, nearly two-thirds say their stuff works fine as it is—they just don't need it.

Another 59% of no-AI respondents said they're not interested in embracing the tech because of privacy concerns—very valid—while 43% simply aren't interested in paying more to have the tech on their devices, most commonly smartphones. Only 15% of respondents said they weren't interested in AI-enabled devices because the technology seems too complicated.

That seemingly puts the lie to the idea that consumers are rejecting AI because it hasn't been explained to them clearly enough, presumably slowly and with small words. Instead, it seems that most people on that side of the AI divide are already familiar and comfortable with their devices, and they're not especially comfortable with the idea of tech oligarchs watching and listening to everything they do.

I like to think there's also some concern about the environmental and economic damage being wrought by our quest for thinking machines in there too—or at the very least about the fact that I desperately need to upgrade my PC but can't because, for some reason, it's really important that we invent Ultron.

"The top reason cited by consumers for not wanting AI in their devices is that they simply do not need AI capabilities. Nearly two-thirds of opposed consumers indicated that their devices already perform the tasks they need. Another 59% of AI detractors cited privacy concerns..."

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-02-04T23:47:30.830Z

Alas, the Circana survey does not reflect a more universal rejection of AI. A majority of respondents said they're "interested" in having AI capabilities on at least one of their devices: 65% overall, a figure that goes up to 82% among respondents aged 18-24, the youngest demographic in the survey, and then "steadily declines among older groups."

Which is probably to be expected. Those of you of a certain age may remember VCRs, and if you do then you may also recall that your parents' VCR was constantly flashing 12:00 because they figured it wasn't worth the hassle of learning how to set the clock.

It's just the way of things: New technologies, broadly speaking, are always more readily adopted by youngsters than the olds. That may come as a relief to billionaire tech overlords who are desperate to sell this stuff, but—acknowledging that I am now one of the olds—I still find it concerning: AI is, quite simply, intrusive, destructive, unreliable, and eating resources on an unprecedented scale. I know, I know, insert The Simpsons 'am I out of touch?' meme here, but the results of this survey make me think that the people paying the most attention to AI are the ones most concerned about its negative impact—and that, to me, is concerning all by itself.