Moralization Cuts AI Adoption

Large‑scale headline analysis and surveys show AI has been moralized at levels comparable to vaccines and GMOs, and moral conviction — not cost‑benefit reasoning — predicts substantial reductions in personal AI use. The effect followed the ChatGPT launch and can precede behavior by years, suggesting moral framing drives durable rejection. — If opposition to AI is driven by moral conviction rather than instrumental concerns, policy, regulation, and public‑education strategies that assume reversible risk perceptions will fail.