Two-thirds of American adults believe everyday investors should have a stake in artificial intelligence's financial upside and a growing majority say the industry's wealth concentration is souring their view of the biggest names in the sector.
Those are among the findings of a new national survey of more than 2,000 US adults from retail investment tech firm DealMaker, reveals that 67 percent of respondents said they want anyone who wishes to invest in AI's growth to be able to do so.
Despite enthusiasm for AI as a technology, a majority of Americans view its economic structure with unease.
Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said they believe AI will worsen economic inequality in the United States. The same share said they think everyday investors face the risk of buying into companies like OpenAI and Anthropic at inflated valuations, after insiders have already captured the bulk of the gains.
Fifty-seven percent agreed that companies remaining private for longer and then going public at multi-trillion-dollar valuations, is damaging the broader economy by concentrating pre-IPO returns among venture capitalists and institutional investors.
Fifty-eight percent said AI's contribution to economic inequality is already affecting their opinion of the sector's dominant companies.
As mega-IPOs from AI companies approach, the question of when and at what price retail investors can participate is becoming more pressing.
Adults aged 65 and over expressed the strongest support for expanded retail access, with nearly 78% agreeing that everyday Americans should be able to benefit from AI's growth, the highest figure of any age group surveyed.
That cohort controls an outsized share of investable capital. According to Federal Reserve data, Americans 65 and older hold approximately $85 trillion in assets and control roughly 54% of US equities, a position worth more than $25 trillion.
However, direct pathways to pre-IPO investment in high-growth technology companies have historically been closed to them, as to most retail investors.
Generation Z, by contrast, registered the lowest level of support at 55%.The survey's authors suggest this may reflect skepticism among a cohort entering the workforce during a period of significant AI-driven labor market disruption.
Gen Z holds approximately $6 trillion in total wealth, according to data from Cerulli Associates, marking a fraction of what older Americans control, and a disparity that itself illustrates the inequality the survey is measuring.
Policy is beginning to move in the direction the survey data suggest the public wants.
The House passed the bipartisan INVEST Act in December 2025 and the bill is now before the Senate. This would direct the Securities and Exchange Commission to modernize the accredited investor definition.
The proposed changes would adjust income and net worth thresholds for inflation and introduce new pathways to qualification based on financial education and professional experience, rather than wealth alone.
Advisors are already preparing clients for the wave of anticipated AI company listings, and some are examining pre-IPO equity as a distinct asset class.
But access remains uneven: as one recent analysis of the pre-IPO market notes, infrastructure gaps along with regulatory ones continue to limit meaningful retail participation.
SpaceX's decision to set aside a significant share of its IPO allocation for retail investors was cited by DealMaker as evidence that appetite exists on both sides of the transaction.
“One historic allocation like SpaceX doesn't meet demand at that scale,” said Rebecca Kacaba, chief executive and co-founder of DealMaker, a Toronto-based company with US operations. “Retail investors are the sorts of people who will feel AI's impact the most, and there's a growing frustration that they're being locked out of the best opportunities."
Even so, 36% of those surveyed said they would invest in OpenAI before its public offering if given the opportunity, suggesting that latent demand for access to private AI investments is substantial, even among those who are skeptical of the current structure.
Seventy-eight percent of all respondents agreed that the United States has a problem with economic inequality, which the survey notes represents another area of unusually strong bipartisan agreement.
Shorter waits for failed SIE and Series 7 candidates take effect Jan. 19, speeding the path to registration
Raymond James and Cetera also welcomed advisors from UBS and LPL as competition for experienced teams stays fierce
Jim Walesa worked in the securities industry for 39 years before leaving in 2021.
As the market turned from pricing in cuts to betting on hikes this year, the developing reality of a K-shaped economy has had real implications for households and investors alike.
Alleged cash payments, stolen client data, and a court that jumped the gun
Knighthead Life entered the market with a competitive MYGA. A strong launch earned advisor confidence and paved the way for FIAs.
As AI makes financial information more accessible than ever, Lana Hock explains why human judgment, trust, and empathy remain the qualities clients value most in a financial advisor
