Shutterstock / Futurism For a time, it appeared as if AI would find broad acceptance among the American masses. The peanut gallery on social media happily embraced early image generation models as researchers appeared to make significant breakthroughs with the aid of their newfound tools. On paper, surveys found public attitudes toward the tech continued to improve into 2025 — before sharply reversing. In 2026, America’s honeymoon phase with AI seems to be