Where Americans stand on AI

Is AI going to kill us all?

We don't know. But we know what Americans think about it.

Below are five charts on where Americans stand on artificial intelligence.

1. AI slowdown. In the wake of leaders of several artificial intelligence (AI) companies calling for a slowdown of AI development, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that this idea would be popular with the public. Far more say such a development would be a good thing (55%), rather than a bad thing (13%), for the U.S.

2. Safety over speed. When it comes to AI development, Americans are rooting for the tortoise. It’s worth noting the modest gap between Republicans and Democrats on this issue, with Republicans being slightly more likely to think it’s important to stay ahead of the world on AI. More on that below.

3. Who should lead the charge? Most Americans are not confident that major AI companies in the U.S. have safeguards in place to prevent AI from causing serious harm to society. However, they still feel AI company leaders should play a major role in setting rules and standards for AI. Similar shares say the same of officials in the federal government. According to Americans, the responsibility is shared.

4. Emerging partisan gap. In some of the previous charts, there were modest gaps in sentiment between Republicans and Democrats. More broadly, when it comes to overall views of AI’s impact on society, the gap between Republicans and Democrats has grown in the past few months. These gaps certainly aren’t as large as the ones on hyper-polarized issues, like immigration or abortion. In fact, partisans have a fair amount of common ground on AI. But whether or not this gap grows, and whether the Republican and Democratic bases start to take opposing stances on the technology, will be something worth watching.

5. Putting AI concerns in context. Two things are true. On one hand, Americans are indeed concerned about the potential threat of artificial intelligence: 50% say that it could pose a major threat to the U.S., about on par with the share who say this about climate change (48%) and global supply chain and economic ties (51%). At the same time, those concerns take a backseat to issues like the economy. It’s the economy, stupid. At least, for now.

Americans have a complicated relationship with AI. On one hand, many actively use it, and find value in doing so. On the other hand, Americans consistently express concern over what AI could do to American society.

Either way, thinking about the near- and long-term implications, AI is a major concern for many Americans, but in the 2026 midterms, these concerns will likely take a backseat to pocketbook issues. That said, if any of the many apocalyptic predictions about AI start to become true, everything will change. Watch this space.