AI usage rises across Canada despite public doubts
· Toronto Sun
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OTTAWA — As artificial intelligence slowly creeps into more aspects of our lives, a majority of Canadians are viewing the new technology with skepticism rather than enthusiasm.
That’s according to a study released Thursday by Angus Reid , suggesting Canadians aren’t warming to the introduction of AI into our lives — with 43% holding negative views of the technology, 24% holding critical views, 16% reporting positive impressions, and 17% who weren’t sure.
“One-in-three are divided between seeing the technology positively (16%) or uncertainly (17%,)” read an excerpt from the study.
“This mirrors much of what was found in previous research from Angus Reid Institute that found Canadians hesitant to embrace the technology, whether they use it or not.”
That metric was derived from responses to four specific questions — if “AI is a force for good in society,” if “everyone, regardless of where they live or who they are, has the same opportunity to benefit from AI,” if “AI will create a prosperity gap between those comfortable and uncomfortable using it,” and how trustworthy respondents feel the information they get from AI platforms is.
Despite skepticism, AI use is increasing
Doubts about the technology aside, Canadians are using AI more often.
Compared to responses gathered in Novembe 2025, six per cent more people said they use AI “several times a day” (10% last year compared to 16% this year.)
The number of people who use AI once per day increased from six per cent to eight per cent, and two per cent more Canadians say they use AI several times a week now than they did in November.
“While some Canadians are deliberately engaging with AI tools by entering prompts or queries in programs like Chat GPT or Claude, more say their exposure is passive — encountering AI-generated information or built-in AI features in apps and programs without specifically asking for them,” the report read.
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Fifty-two per cent said their exposure to AI is passive, while 32% said they actively use AI-specific apps, and 15% said they weren’t sure.
As for potential benefits of AI, 43% said its ability to learn or research topics quickly, 37% said it made information much easier to access, 35% said it saves time, and 29% said it makes tasks easier or more convenient.
Concerns over people losing the ability to think critically or solve problems ranked as the number one concern with 41%, followed by questions concerning the veracity of AI-generated content (36%), misinformation (29%) and AI providing incorrect or misleading information (28%).
The poll was conducted between May 7 and 11 among a random sample of 1,842 Canadian adults.
While margins of error cannot be applied to polls conducted via online panels, a comparable sample size would yield a margin ±2%, 19 times out of 20.