"More Concern Than Hope: 9 Out of 10 Americans Raise Red Flags Over AI Technology"

Anxiety Grows Over AI Surpassing Human Intelligence and Changing Lifestyles
Calls for Government Response Cross Party Lines

It has been found that 9 out of 10 Americans view the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and associated infrastructure expansion with more concern than anticipation.

CNN reported on September 23 (local time) the results of a recent poll conducted with research firm SSRS, which surveyed 1,206 U.S. adults between September 16 and 17.

According to the survey, 88% of respondents expressed concern about the possibility of AI eventually surpassing human intelligence, while only 12% said they were hopeful. When it came to the increase in data center construction to support AI technologies, 87% expressed concern, compared to 13% who were optimistic. Likewise, 82% said they felt uneasy about changes in lifestyles due to AI. In terms of personal finances, a negative impact (48%) was expected to outweigh a positive effect (18%).

Such anxiety is leading to strong calls for robust government regulation. 71% of respondents said that the federal government has not taken adequate action to regulate AI development. By party affiliation, a majority across all political groups—Democrats (85%), Republicans (63%), and Independents (67%)—supported stronger regulation, underscoring the bipartisan nature of public sentiment.

This aligns with the recent trend in U.S. politics where calls for AI regulation transcend party and ideological lines, with progressive figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders and conservative voices like former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon both advocating for regulatory action. However, the negative outlook on the speed of AI development and the proliferation of data centers was more than 20 percentage points higher among Democratic supporters than among Republicans.

Meanwhile, 64% of registered voters said that AI and data center issues will be very important criteria in the upcoming midterm elections this November. The midterm elections, held in the middle of the four-year U.S. presidential term, determine federal Senate and House seats and state governors, serving as a key political event to evaluate the current administration’s performance and set the course for future legislative leadership.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.