Imagining the Digital Future Center

U.S. adults fear artificial intelligence will undermine people’s sense of meaning and weaken social bonds, even as daily users report some personal satisfaction and useful outcomes from the bots.

Rainie talked with TechCrunch about how AI models tend to produce similar images, including some that people find "unsettling."

The Washington Post highlighted the research in a story titled “‘A friend I can trust’: How Americans described their relationship with AI."

A new survey finds that 27% of U.S. adult internet users have social and emotional interactions with artificial intelligence systems, with a third of those users considering their AI bot as a friend.

Rainie, the director of the Imaging the Digital Future Center, spoke to The Chronicle of Higher Education about higher education institutions response to AI.

“Human Wisdom for the Age of AI: A Field Guide to Cultivating Essential Skills”, a publication by Elon University, the American Association of Colleges and Universities and The Princeton Review, is provided to students and institutions free of charge.

In a new report from Elon's Imagining the Digital Future Center, experts call for radical change across institutions and social structures.

The CAA Academic Alliance requested applications from the thirteen institutions comprising the Alliance. Nearly 400 applicants responded to the call, with 22 faculty/staff members chosen for the inaugural cohort, including two from Elon University.

This non-scientific survey was conducted between October 29 and November 26, 2025, using a list of college and university faculty members developed by AAC&U and Elon University.

All students, staff and faculty are invited to this event exploring the connection between artificial intelligence and democracy.