FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thinkers360 Announces Release of 2026 AI Trust Index Research
Key findings of the 2026 AI Trust Index Research include over 80% of AI end users and providers are somewhat concerned or higher in terms of their level of trust in AI today (down from 87% in 2025), with the AI Trust Index standing at 303 out of 400 in terms of level of concern.
DALLAS, TX – November 9, 2026
Thinkers360, the world’s premier B2B thought leader, analyst and influencer community, today announced the release of it’s 2026 AI Trust Index Research Report.
The purpose of the research was to examine the current state of trust in AI from both an AI end user and AI provider perspective as an annual pulse check on sentiment across various aspects of trust. The primary research survey was conducted in September and October 2026 among Thinkers360 Members and the global community of AI end users and AI providers.
This year’s findings show that the overall AI Trust Index score for 2026 is 303 on a scale of 100 (not concerned) to 400 (extremely concerned). This is close to last year’s score of 307 in 2025, 308 in 2024 and up from 224 in 2023. In addition, over 80% of AI end users and providers are somewhat concerned or higher in terms of their level of trust in AI today. Encouragingly, this is down from 87% in 2025.
While AI is in mainstream adoption, trust in AI is still a work in progress. The encouraging news is that an average of over 71% of AI end users (72%) and providers (71%) somewhat agree or higher that the benefits of AI outweigh the risks. In reaching this consensus, AI end users are becoming more optimistic (up from 65% in 2025) and providers more pessimistic (down from 83% in 2025).
Key findings from the study include:
The 2026 AI Trust Index stands at 303 out of 400
- The overall AI Trust Index score for 2026 is 303 on a scale of 100 (not concerned) to 400 (extremely concerned).
- The Thinkers360 AI Trust Index measures concerns of AI end users and AI practitioners on Issues related to use of AI in government, workplace, media and personal scenarios worldwide.
- It is calculated by averaging the level of concern across 8 issues within these 4 scenarios for both AI end users and AI practitioners globally.
Thinkers360 AI Trust Index Methodology
Thinkers360 AI Trust Index 2026
Thinkers360 AI Trust Index 2026
AI Concern remains High for the Third Straight Year
- AI Concern remains High for the Third Straight Year – Over 80% of AI end users & providers are somewhat concerned or higher in terms of their level of trust in AI today.
- Most Concern (Scenarios): Cybersecurity – Cybercrime (91%), Misinformation (88%) and Surveillance (76%) are where AI end users & providers are very or extremely concerned.
- Most Concern (Attributes): Privacy – Over 69% of AI end users and providers are very or extremely concerned that AI is privacy enhanced.
Benefits of AI outweigh the Risks
- Most Concern (Industries): Defense – Defense (75%), Government (68%) and Finance (55%) are where AI end users & providers are very or extremely concerned.
- Most Confidence in Research Organizations – Research (49%), Healthcare (39%) and Research Organizations are where AI end users & providers are very confident or higher.
- Benefits of AI outweigh the Risks – Over 71% of AI end users and providers somewhat agree or strongly agree that the benefits of AI outweigh the risks.
Enterprise AI shows gaps in Procedural, Operational & Financial Trust
- AI Ideas & Intake – Over 52% stated that procedural trust of their enterprise AI ideas and intake had moderate or lower transparency and only 19% had fully transparent processes.
- AI Use Cases & Governance – Over 70% stated that operational trust of their enterprise AI use cases and governance had moderate or higher concern and only 12% had negligible risk.
- AI ROI & Performance – Over 76% stated that financial trust of their enterprise AI ROI and performance had moderate or higher concern and only 7% had complete trust.
About Thinkers360
Thinkers360 is the world’s first open marketplace and social network for B2B thought leaders, analysts, and influencers. Powered by a patented algorithm that measures authentic expertise rather than vanity metrics, Thinkers360 helps enterprise organizations amplify their content to influence the influencers™—reaching a collective network of over 100 million followers—as well as discover, engage, and collaborate with top global experts, analysts, and influencers across over 100 cutting-edge AI, business, and technology domains.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Thinkers360 2026 AI Trust Index
What is the Thinkers360 AI Trust Index 2026?
The Thinkers360 AI Trust Index is an annual global research report and pulse check examining sentiment from both AI end-users and AI providers across various aspects of trust, including government, personal, workplace, and media scenarios. The 2026 report marks the 4th annual study.
What is the overall AI Trust Index score for 2026?
The overall AI Trust Index score for 2026 stands at 303 on a scale ranging from 100 (not concerned) to 400 (extremely concerned). This score remains consistent with 307 in 2025 and 308 in 2024, holding steady at the “very concerned” level.
Do the benefits of AI outweigh the risks according to the findings?
Yes. An average of over 71% of AI end-users (72%) and providers (71%) either somewhat agree or higher that the benefits of AI outweigh the risks.
What scenarios and issues cause the highest level of concern?
Media scenarios rank as the highest area of concern. Specifically, respondents cited cybercrime (91%), misinformation (88%), and surveillance (76%) as the top scenarios where they are very or extremely concerned.
Which industries and institutions face the most scrutiny regarding AI?
Defense & intelligence (75%), government (68%), and finance (55%) are the industries generating the highest level of concern. Conversely, research organizations (49%), healthcare (39%), and academic institutions (38%) earned the highest public confidence.
Who collaborated on the Thinkers360 2026 AI Trust Index survey?
The 2026 study was conducted in collaboration with Tom Davenport at Babson College and Innogentic.ai, surveying Thinkers360 members and the global community of AI end-users and providers.
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