Democrats and Republicans do not agree on much these days. If there is one thing they do agree on it is the threat from AI to jobs, privacy and ownership. There is less agreement, however, on type and extent of regulation required.
Nearly identical shares of Republicans and Democrats say they are more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life – 50% and 51%, respectively, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted last year.
Notable Shifts in Attitude
“This represents a notable shift from previous years. Since 2021,” reports Pew Research. “Republicans have been more likely than Democrats to say they feel more concerned than excited about AI’s growing use. But the share of Republicans who say this has decreased 9 percentage points since 2023.”
Meanwhile, Democrats’ concerns over AI have steadily grown. The 51% of Democrats who are more concerned than excited about AI’s increased use in daily life is up from 46% in 2023 and 31% in 2021.
Overall, Americans have grown more concerned than excited over the increased use of AI, with half saying this today, up from 37% in 2021.
More Concerned Excited
According to Pew Research most people are more concerned than excited about AI’s use, and trust their own country and the EU to regulate it than trust the U.S. or China. A median of 34% of adults say they are more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI, while 42% are equally concerned and excited. A median of 16% are more excited than concerned.
Concerns about AI are especially common in the United States, Italy, Australia, Brazil and Greece, where about half of adults say they are more concerned than excited. But as few as 16% in South Korea are mainly concerned about the prospect of AI in their lives.
Leaders in more excited than concerned are Israel (29%) and South Korea (22%).
Are U.S. citizens more concerned about AI than any other nation because it is home to the largest and most powerful AI companies?
When it comes to regulation, more Americans distrust (47%) than trust (44%) the country to regulate AI. Are U.S. citizens more concerned about AI than any other nation (with the exception of Italy, which has a long history of public doubt about government) because it is home to the largest and most powerful AI companies?
Concern About China
Both Republicans and Democrats are skeptical about China’s ability to regulate AI. Across both parties, majorities say they distrust China’s ability to oversee this technology properly. Still, distrust is higher among Republicans than Democrats (81% vs 73%).
It may turn out that China manages its AI more aggressively than Western-style economies, due to its strongly centralized government, but it will likely do so in its own best interests. The Pew research predates the the recent video created by ByteDance-owned Seedance 2.0, which enabled a user to create a convincing but IP-abusivel movie clip from a simple prompt, as reported in Variety. ByteDance also owns TikTok.
Pew Research Center is charitably-funded non-advocacy nonprofit that provides best-in-class methods and commitment to high-quality, fact-based research for leaders and people.
Image source: Pew Research Center
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