While 76% of voters want the federal government to regulate artificial intelligence technology, a new Fox News survey finds that only 39% think Uncle Sam is up to the job. In a broader sense, more voters think AI is generally a bad thing, but the view is more positive among those who are familiar with the technology.
By an 8-point margin, voters overall are more likely to believe AI is a bad thing for society than a good thing. However, those familiar with AI are more likely to say it’s a good thing by a 6-point margin.
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Half of voters are at least somewhat familiar with artificial intelligence technology or programs such as ChatGPT. More men are familiar than women (60% vs. 42%), a larger number of those with a college degree know about it than those with no degree (57% vs. 46%), and more voters under age 45 are familiar than those ages 45+ (65% vs. 41%).
Roughly three-quarters of both those familiar with the technology (78%) and those who aren’t (73%) think it’s important for the federal government to regulate AI.
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But far fewer feel confident in the government’s ability to properly regulate the programs.
Overall, 39% of voters have a great deal or some confidence, while 59% have not much or no faith in the government regulating AI. More of those familiar with AI (46%) have confidence than those unfamiliar (33%).
“Americans are unsure what to think of our new robot overlords,” says Daron Shaw, a Republican who conducts the Fox News poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. “They’re skeptical elected leaders are up to the task of placing appropriate limits on this new tech, which probably says something about opinion on the tech and opinion on our leaders.”
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Conducted April 21-24, 2023, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,004 registered voters nationwide who were randomly selected from a voter file and spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones. The total sample has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
