Most Americans Worry AI Could Destroy Humanity. Two Thirds Rate The Possibility As ‘Moderate.’
Two-thirds of Americans rate AI's potential to destroy humanity as "moderate."

Most Americans believe AI could destroy humanity in the future, according to a new poll.
A Politico poll found that two-thirds of Americans rate AI's potential to destroy humanity as "moderate."
The poll comes after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said that the potential risks of AI are real and should inform the pace of its development. The call was echoed by other top industry leaders over the weekend.
"[L]ike many technologies before it, AI brings risks, and because it is such a powerful technology, these risks are serious," Amodei wrote when issuing the warning. "They include the risk of losing control of AI systems, misuse of AI for cyberattacks and bioterrorism, and serious economic disruption. A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute."
"We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain," he said.
However, President Donald Trump has pushed back against the notion. "The AI Hoax being perpetrated by the Radical Left Dumocrats is reminiscent of their Global Warming Scam of not so long ago, where everyone was going to die from extreme heat. What happened? MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!," the president wrote on social media on Tuesday.
Despite Trump's comments that AI concern is fueled by the political left, among those who voiced support for slowing down development was Elon Musk, who has supported Trump. Musk wrote on X that "Dario is right." He also called for top companies to test each others' models this week.
Also, as the Politico poll found, concern about AI, and the corresponding concern about AI infrastructure such as data centers, does not fall along partisan lines.
The website reported that AI fear crosses political divides, with 70 percent of Vice President Kamala Harris supporters and 60 percent of President Donald Trump supporters holding the same position that AI is a "moderate" risk to destroy humanity.
The poll also found that 44 percent of Trump supporters support pausing development. About 40 percent of Trump supporters believe we should continue moving forward.
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