Research03 · Evidence
What the research and incidents show
Questions we ask
How do we keep the public map honest when fear and utopia both sell?
Fixed panels, sourced observations, and sealed hashes — not panic marketing.
Related concerns
From the library
Continuous read
Evidence shelf
Division 03 holds the continuous literature and indicator ledger that feeds the Stress Index.
Companionship · perception · tier 2 · 100 pts
US states with enacted laws regulating AI companion chatbots or minors' chatbot use
18
US states · published 2026-09-01
“Thirty seven states introduced 124 chatbot-related bills in 2026, with thirteen of those signed into law–bringing the total number of state chatbot laws enacted in 2025 and 2026 to eighteen”
Future of Privacy Forum — Regulating the Chatbot: U.S. Chatbot Regulations Report
Count of enacted state chatbot laws 2025–2026; includes companion and minor-safety chatbot statutes.
Judgment · load · tier 1 · 75 pts
Share of US adults who use AI chatbots for health information or advice at least monthly
20%
US adults · published 2026-06-11
“To get medical advice — 20%”
Pew reports ever-use for medical advice among U.S. adults; panel asks at-least-monthly — treat as upper-bound load until a monthly cut publishes.
Companionship · load · tier 1 · 50 pts
Share of US adults who have used AI for emotional support or companionship
10%
US adults · published 2026-06-11
“For emotional support or advice — 10%”
Emotional support/advice is the closest national adult companionship measure; companionship alone is 4% in the same chart.
Childhood · perception · tier 1 · 50 pts
Share of parents who know their teen uses generative AI
51%
US parents of teens ages 13-17 · published 2026-02-24
“When asked about their own teen, 51% of parents say their teen uses chatbots, while 18% say they do not.”
Pew Research Center — What parents say about their teen’s AI use
Perception needle: parent awareness of teen generative-AI use. Teens self-report 64% — the miss is the point.
Childhood · load · tier 1 · 75 pts
Share of US teens online almost constantly
40%
US teens ages 13-17 · published 2025-12-09
“Nearly all U.S. teens (97%) say they use the internet daily, including four-in-ten who say they are almost constantly online.”
Pew Research Center — Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025
Home agents · perception · tier 2 · 75 pts
Share of US adults uncomfortable letting AI agents act on their behalf
52%
US consumers · published 2025-11-01
“Overall, consumers feel ambivalent yet curious about using AI agents for shopping online. Half (48%) felt comfortable letting an AI agent make a purchase for them, with 52% not comfortable.”
Checkout.com — The $200 checkout: What consumers expect from agentic AI
Work · load · tier 1 · 50 pts
Share of US workers who use AI in their job
21%
US workers · published 2025-10-06
“Today, 21% of U.S. workers say at least some of their work is done with AI, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in September.”
Pew Research Center — About 1 in 5 U.S. workers now use AI in their job, up since last year
Judgment · perception · tier 1 · 75 pts
Share of US adults who say AI will worsen people's ability to think
53%
US adults · published 2025-09-17
“53% say AI will worsen people’s ability to think creatively, compared with 16% who say it will improve this.”
Pew Research Center — How Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and Society
Closest national measure to ability-to-think concern; wording is think creatively.
Work · load · tier 1 · 100 pts
Relative employment change for early-career workers in the most AI-exposed occupations
-13%
US workers ages 22-25 in most AI-exposed occupations · published 2025-08-26
“We find that since the widespread adoption of generative AI, early-career workers (ages 22-25) in the most AI-exposed occupations have experienced a 13 percent relative decline in employment even after controlling for firm-level shocks.”
Signed relative employment change; negative = decline. Authors: Brynjolfsson, Chandar, Chen.
Companionship · load · tier 2 · 100 pts
Share of US teens who have used AI companions
72%
US teens ages 13-17 · published 2025-07-16
“Seventy-two percent of teens have used AI companions at least once, and over half (52%) qualify as regular users who interact with these platforms at least a few times a month.”
Common Sense Media — Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions
Companionship · load · tier 2 · 100 pts
Share of US teens who use AI companions regularly
52%
US teens ages 13-17 · published 2025-07-16
“Seventy-two percent of teens have used AI companions at least once, and over half (52%) qualify as regular users who interact with these platforms at least a few times a month.”
Common Sense Media — Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions
Companionship · load · tier 2 · 100 pts
Share of teen companion users who find AI conversations as satisfying as, or more than, real friends
31%
US teens ages 13-17 · published 2025-07-16
“Thirty-one percent of teens find conversations with AI companions as satisfying or more satisfying than those with real-life friends (21% say about the same quality, and 10% say more satisfying).”
Common Sense Media — Talk, Trust and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions
Reported among teens surveyed; companion ever-use is 72%.
Judgment · load · tier 1 · 50 pts
Share of US adults who have used ChatGPT or another AI chatbot
34%
US adults · published 2025-06-25
“Today, 34% of U.S. adults say they have ever used ChatGPT, according to a Pew Research Center survey.”
Pew Research Center — 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023
Panel asks ChatGPT or another chatbot; Pew measures ChatGPT specifically — a floor on broader chatbot use.
Home agents · load · tier 2 · 50 pts
Share of US adults who have let an AI agent act for them (booking, buying, email)
10%
US consumers · published 2025-03-15
“Just 10% said they have bought something using AI (in any form, such as via Perplexity Pro’s one-click feature)—mostly for small-ticket grocery items and household goods.”
Bain & Company — Agentic AI Commerce Hinges on Consumer Trust
Proxy for letting an agent act (buying). Booking/email agent acts still thin in national polls.
Work · perception · tier 1 · 75 pts
Share of US workers worried about how AI will affect their jobs
52%
US workers · published 2025-02-25
“About half of workers (52%) say they’re worried about the future impact of AI use in the workplace, and 32% think it will lead to fewer job opportunities for them in the long run, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.”
Childhood · load · tier 1 · 50 pts
Share of US teens who have used AI chatbots for schoolwork
26%
US teens ages 13-17 · published 2025-01-15
“The share of teens who say they use ChatGPT for their schoolwork has risen to 26%, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17.”