Almost Three In Four of Americans Fear AI Could Threaten Human Survival, New Poll Shows

Americans overwhelmingly want stronger safeguards around artificial intelligence, even if putting those protections in place slows the development of increasingly powerful AI systems, according to a new survey.

A national survey from Quinnipiac University found that 91% of Americans consider it very or somewhat important for the United States to establish guardrails for AI systems. 81% said safety is more important than staying at the forefront of AI innovation, compared with 14% who prioritized innovation.

According to Quinnipiac, 74% of Americans have little or no trust in the leaders of AI companies, while 86% support requiring companies to meet independent safety standards even if doing so slows AI development. 53% of respondents said they believe AI will do more harm than good in their day-to-day lives, while 34% expect it to do more good than harm.

"More people expect AI to do more harm than good in their day-to-day lives, and while there are significant concerns about future AI threatening humans, Americans are much more worried about AI being used by people to do harm to others," Brian O'Neill, associate dean of Quinnipiac's School of Computing and Engineering, said in releasing the findings.

President Donald Trump and executives from some of the country's biggest AI companies announced a voluntary safety agreement following a White House meeting on Tuesday. The companies committed to internal controls and independent assessments of advanced AI systems, but the agreement is voluntary rather than a new federal regulatory mandate.

Elsewhere in the poll, seventy-three percent of respondents said they were very or somewhat concerned that future AI systems could potentially threaten human survival. Nearly eight in 10 also favored slowing or stopping development of powerful AI systems until their safety risks can be better evaluated, while just 5% favored accelerating development, according to Quinnipiac.

Americans are also increasingly skeptical of the physical infrastructure required to power the AI boom. The poll found 72% would oppose construction of an AI data center in their community, compared with 65% in a Quinnipiac poll conducted in March.

"Securing local support for the physical infrastructure behind AI may become one of the industry's most immediate challenges," Tamilla Triantoro, an associate professor in Quinnipiac University's School of Business, said in the release.

Sixty-nine percent said keeping up with China in AI development is important. Quinnipiac found that 65% simultaneously believe competing with China and establishing AI guardrails are important. The Quinnipiac University Poll surveyed 1,202 U.S. adults nationwide from September 24 through September 27. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.