Corporate leaders and investors are brimming with optimism about the potential of artificial intelligence to boost worker productivity, profitability and shareholder returns.

The general public remains unconvinced.

That’s according to a report published Tuesday by nonprofit group Just Capital, examining how different groups are feeling about the potential risks and benefits of AI adoption. Between Sept. 27 and Nov. 14, Just Capital collected data from institutional investors and analysts, corporate executives and U.S. adults.

Roughly 93% of corporate leaders and 80% of investors said they believe AI will have a net positive impact on society within the next five years, according to the report. Only 58% of respondents from the public said they share that sentiment.

The survey lands three years after OpenAI kickstarted the generative AI rush with the launch of ChatGPT, sparking a flood of investments into AI infrastructure, startups and products. With some analysts forecasting that AI spending will reach into the trillions of dollars by the end of the decade, the boom is boosting excitement about economic advancement and the future of technology while simultaneously raising concerns about privacy, safety and job security.

The disparate views are particularly noticeable when looking at AI in the workplace.

Just 47% of the general public said they think AI will have a positive net impact on worker productivity, compared to 94% of investors and 98% of corporate leaders.

Meanwhile, nearly half of respondents from the general public said they expect AI to replace workers and eliminate jobs, the report said. Only 20% of corporate leaders agreed.

Conversely, 64% of executives said AI will help workers be more productive in their current jobs, while only 23% of the public agreed.

“The survey findings reveal widespread public concern that companies’ growing adoption of AI will have swift, direct consequences for workers through job cuts,” Just Capital said.

All three categories of respondents are concerned about safety and security risks that could stem from AI, but corporate leaders and investors are especially worried about disinformation and malicious use of the technology. In addition to those categories, the public is also fears loss of control and the environmental impact of AI.

More than 40% of corporate leaders said environmental issues are not being factored into their AI deployment strategy, according to the report.

Roughly 60% of investors and half of the public said companies should spend more than 5% of their total AI investment on safety, while 59% of corporate leaders said they should spend up to 5%.

Just Capital said it will continue to track sentiments around AI deployment every quarter.

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House Democrats are forming a commission on artificial intelligence to position themselves as leaders on the issue as AI companies train their focus — and campaign contributions — on Washington, D.C.

The House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy, set to begin meeting this month, will work with AI companies, stakeholders and congressional committees that oversee aspects of the sector to help develop policy expertise.

The commission is a response to the growing presence of AI policy and AI companies around Washington.

AI companies are ramping up lobbying, opening offices close to the Capitol, and launching campaigns through a super PAC with at least $100 million to spend on the midterms elections in 2026.

There has been a growing debate over AI, specifically related to an increasing number of individual state laws that could conflict with a federal standard.

OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz and Google are lobbying to block state laws that regulate AI. Democrats have largely opposed that push.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a statement shared with CNBC about the working group, said that Democrats are “ready, willing and able to lean into those issues so we can uplift the health, safety and economic well-being of the American people.”

Rep. Ted Lieu of California, Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, and Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina will lead the commission. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California and Rep. Frank Pallone of Massachusetts, the top Democrats on committees that cover AI, will serve as ex-officio co-chairs. All House Democrats will be invited to participate.

Lieu drew a line between how Republicans and Democrats have handled AI issues.

He slammed the Trump administration for proposing to sell advanced chips to China, striking revenue-sharing agreements, and posting deepfake videos. Trump announced Monday that he will allow Nvidia to send advanced H200 chips to “approved customers” in China and elsewhere.

“House Democrats reject this misguided approach, which risks leaving Americans vulnerable and our competitiveness weakened,” Liu said in a statement. “Instead, Democrats will meet the moment by working with all stakeholders to develop smart, durable solutions that strengthen innovation and protect the public.”

Gottheimer said the group also wants to find ways to keep the U.S. “ahead of the curve” when it comes to AI and work with the larger industry.

“We need to ensure Congress is educated on these new technologies, that we’re putting the right policies and guardrails in place to grow and protect Americans,” he said in a statement.

The House previously had a bipartisan task force on AI that issued a report in December 2024, which laid out recommendations for action at both the Congressional and executive levels.

U.S. authorities announced Tuesday that they have shut down yet another China-linked smuggling network that trafficked or attempted to traffic more than $160 million in export-controlled Nvidia AI chips.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, two businessmen were taken into custody, while a Houston-based company and its owner have already pleaded guilty to chip smuggling as part of the wider investigation.

The case comes as Washington steps up its enforcement of export controls aimed at curbing China’s access to advanced AI technologies, including Nvidia’s Graphics Processing Units. 

The operation, dubbed “Operation Gatekeeper,” exposed efforts to funnel cutting-edge AI chips — with military and civilian applications — to entities that could undermine U.S. national security, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas.

Newly unsealed documents show that Alan Hao Hsu, 43, of Missouri City, Texas, and his company, Hao Global LLC, pleaded guilty to smuggling and unlawful export activities on Oct. 10. 

Officials said Hsu and associates had exported or attempted to export at least $160 million worth of Nvidia H100 and H200 GPUs between October 2024 and May 2025.

The H200 and H100 models, while not Nvidia’s most advanced chips, still require a special license to be shipped to China under current controls.

Hsu’s operation allegedly falsified shipping documents to misclassify the GPUs and hide their true destinations, including China, Hong Kong and other prohibited locations. Investigators traced more than $50 million in funds originating from China to help fund the scheme by Hsu and Hao Global.

Hsu, who remains free on bond, faces up to 10 years in prison at his Feb. 18 sentencing, while Hao Global could be hit with fines up to twice its illicit gains plus probation. 

In a statement shared with CNBC, an Nvidia spokesperson said that export controls remain rigorous and that “even sales of older generation products on the secondary market are subject to strict scrutiny and review.”

“While millions of controlled GPUs are in service at businesses, homes, and schools, we will continue to work with the government and our customers to ensure that second-hand smuggling does not occur,” the spokesperson said.

The investigation involved the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees and enforces U.S. export controls, including those on Nvidia. The case comes amid a flurry of similar busts regarding unauthorized Nvidia exports in recent months. 

Lawmakers have been attempting to tighten oversight of U.S. chip controls following reports of loopholes in existing rules.

However, the U.S. President signaled this week that he would allow Nvidia to ship its H200 chips to “approved customers” in China and elsewhere, on the condition that Washington gets a 25% cut on the profits.

Although the H200 isn’t state-of-the-art in Nvidia’s lineup, it would become the most advanced model available to China and could help satiate demand for AI compute power in the country.