Americans worried about AI risks

August 10, 2023

Americans are worried about the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and support federal regulation to control those risks, according to a new poll by the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute.

In this survey, where the views of over 1,000 individuals were analyzed, a staggering 82% expressed their lack of faith in technology corporations to self-regulate AI. Instead, a substantial 56% voiced their support for federal intervention, highlighting their skepticism towards tech companies’ motives.

The poll, conducted by YouGov, found that 62% of Americans are somewhat or mostly concerned about AI, while only 21% are excited about it. Additionally, 72% of Americans prefer to slow down the development of AI, while only 8% want to speed it up.

The poll also found that Americans are particularly concerned about the potential for AI to be used for malicious purposes. Three in four Americans believe that AI could eventually pose a threat to the existence of the human race, and 86% believe that AI could accidentally cause a catastrophic event.

In light of these concerns, a majority of Americans (56%) support the creation of a federal agency to regulate AI. Only 14% of Americans oppose the creation of such an agency.

The sources for this piece include an article in Axios.

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Jim Love

Jim is an author and podcast host with over 40 years in technology.

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