Monitor Digital Working Society—Brief report on the third wave of surveys. Following the rise in AI interest: Between stabilization, skepticism, and calls for regulation

The brief report presents key findings from the third of four representative survey waves conducted as part of the Monitor Digital Working Society study, which was carried out as part of the Opinion Monitor Artificial Intelligence 3.0 research project. The findings are based on responses from 1,647 participants (928 working, 719 non-working) in January 2026. The third survey wave shows that the interest in AI, which had risen over the course of 2025, declined slightly again at the beginning of 2026, while the subjective assessment of one’s own knowledge remained stable at the level achieved. At the same time, reservations regarding certain societal applications are increasing, particularly in areas related to state security tasks and political decisions. In the workplace, assessments of AI’s impact on one’s own profession remain generally stable and slightly benefit-oriented. The professional use of AI has stagnated recently. Many employees continue to report no fundamental changes in their job requirements and only low levels of personal job insecurity, while concerns that AI could replace or fundamentally alter human work in general remain significantly more widespread than personal job insecurity. For the first time, the survey also sheds light on the public’s regulatory preferences: While government intervention regarding labor market impacts finds broad support, interventions in economic freedoms and tax policy measures are viewed with significantly more ambivalence. Overall, there are signs of a greater differentiation and consolidation of attitudes toward AI.