Majority of Canadians worried AI will worsen inequality, poll shows
A poll recently conducted by the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians are worried that artificial intelligence will worsen inequality.
The data showed that concerns have persisted despite increasing use of the technology.
According to the poll, 56% of Canadians believe AI will lead to "more inequality. Wealth had little impact on answers, with between 54% and 59% of those in all income brackets sharing that sentiment.
Conversely, just 7% said AI will usher in an era of more equality. Support for this view was slightly higher among the $100-$150k and $200k+ income brackets, at 9% and 10%, respectively.
There was widespread agreement that any benefits AI could provide would likely not be spread equally.
When asked whether they believed "everyone, regardless of where they live or who they are, has the same opportunity to benefit from AI," over two-thirds (68%) said no. Those making under $50k per year were 11% more likely than their $200k+ counterparts to disagree with that statement.
A majority of respondents (75%) agreed that "AI will create a prosperity gap between those comfortable and uncomfortable using it," with those most critical of the technology more likely to "strongly agree."
Concerns about the technology had less to do with the lack of humanity in AI-generated content — only 19% said AI lacking human judgement was their main worry, while 3% said AI feeling "impersonal" was at the top of their list.
Just over 40% ranked "people relying less on critical thinking or problem-solving skills" as concern number one, while "difficulty knowing whether content is real or AI-generated" and "AI provides incorrect or misleading information" came in at 36% and 28%, respectively.
Trust in AI varied greatly between sceptics and avid users. Just 8% of the former said the technology was "trustworthy enough," compared to 84% of the latter.
The poll was conducted online between May 7-11, 2026 among 1,842 Canadians. On May 12, AI Minister Evan Solomon announced the creation of multiple new AI data centres in British Columbia, namely Vancouver.
Jarryd Jäger
Reaction to the proposed facilities has been mixed. Many have voiced their opposition, warning of the impacts such sites could have on the environment — and such technology on people's lives.
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