67% of U.S. Adults Say Federal AI Oversight Is Too Limited

Most U.S. adults say artificial intelligence (AI) is bad for society and the federal government is doing too little to regulate it, while other surveys show support for safety rules that could slow development.

A poll conducted Oct. 9-13 among 2,545 U.S. adults found 67% believed federal oversight of AI’s growth and development was insufficient. Another 22% said the government was doing about the right amount, and 9% said it was doing too much. The poll’s margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.

On AI’s effect on society, 57% called it bad and 42% called it good; 1% skipped the question. Seventeen percent described its effect as “extremely” bad, while 14% called it “very” bad.

Concern about jobs was also widespread. Sixty-five percent rated the risk of AI eliminating many jobs as moderate or very high: 30% chose moderate and 35% very high.

A separate survey conducted from Feb. 17 to March 20 found 65% believed the government had done too little to regulate AI. That included 77% of Democrats, 72% of independents and 53% of Republicans. Shawn Patterson Jr., a research analyst at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, said, “The demand for regulation is not a partisan issue.”

A September survey found 86% supported requiring AI companies to meet independent safety standards even if the requirement slowed development. Eighty-one percent said safety mattered more than keeping the United States at the forefront of AI innovation.

The surveys measure different questions and do not establish agreement on a specific bill, regulator or enforcement model.