Why Americans Fear the AI Future

If AI is the future, it’s a future most Americans dread. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 55 percent of American adults “think AI will do more harm than good in their day-to-day lives,” an increase from the 44 percent of respondents who felt the same way one year ago.

The sentiment is bipartisan; a recent Economist/YouGov poll found that Democrats are only slightly more likely than Republicans or independents to say that AI is advancing too quickly. At the end of April, the GUARD bill sponsored by Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.), which proposes protections for children from harmful AI chatbots, was unanimously passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Concern is also cross-generational: The same Economist poll found that 64 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds believe that AI is moving too fast, only slightly less than 30- to 44-year-olds (67 percent) and 45- to 64-year-olds (72 percent).

About the Author

Christine Rosen

Christine Rosen is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a contributor to Commentary.

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If AI is the future, it’s a future most Americans dread. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 55 percent of American adults “think AI will do more harm than good in their day-to-day lives,” an increase from the 44 percent of respondents who felt the same way one year ago.

The sentiment is bipartisan; a recent Economist/YouGov poll found that Democrats are only slightly more likely than Republicans or independents to say that AI is advancing too quickly. At the end of April, the GUARD bill sponsored by Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.), which proposes protections for children from harmful AI chatbots, was unanimously passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Concern is also cross-generational: The same Economist poll found that 64 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds believe that AI is moving too fast, only slightly less than 30- to 44-year-olds (67 percent) and 45- to 64-year-olds (72 percent).