Poll: Most think AI could do this to humanity — but don't agree on what to do about it

In a new poll conducted by Politico, Americans voiced their concerns over AI and the future of mankind. According to the results, more than half believe that AI platforms could wipe out humanity, and the divide between right-wingers and leftists is closer than you’d think.

An independent research firm based in London, Public First, gathered poll data from September 13 through September 15. The information was pulled just as talks over AI’s threat to humanity caught headlines as several former and current Anthropic employees warned that AI could kill us all if we weren’t careful.

The moderate risk level served as the most prominent metric for both Republicans and Democrats.

This prompted Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to write a blog post in favor of an AI slowdown that would effectively pump the brakes on developing new models to ensure future safety. Whether you agree or disagree, all the talk sparked concerns that AI might actually put mankind in danger.

So what do the people think?

The survey asked 2,064 U.S. adults online about AI and its future implications. This data was then used in combination with participants’ presidential votes in the 2024 election to determine party affiliation.

According to the poll:

• 17% of Americans (17% right, 17% left) believe AI will almost certainly destroy humanity.
• 20% (17% right, 26% left) believe AI poses a significant risk to destroying humanity.
• 26% (27% right, 29% left) believe AI poses a moderate risk to destroying humanity.

Anna Wiederkehr/POLITICO

The interesting part about the data is how closely both political ideologies agree. The moderate risk level served as the most prominent metric for both Republicans and Democrats, while the same number agreed that AI has the highest chance of wiping out civilization.

Now, just because the public believes these things doesn’t make them true. However, it proves that the people are growing leery of AI as it evolves.

RELATED: Big AI broke the internet. Now it wants everyone else to fix it.

Just_Super/Getty Images

As a remedy to mitigate risk and assuage concerns, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and SpaceXAI CEO Elon Musk all agree that now is the time to pace AI development. As it turns out, the American people are also on board.

• 48% of those polled (44% right, 58% left) think that we should pause AI development to mitigate risks.
• 31% of those polled (40% right, 28% left) believe AI development should continue unabated.
• 22% of those polled (16% right, 13% left) didn’t know.

Anna Wiederkehr/POLITICO

Nearly half of both sides agree that a pause is necessary, though this sentiment is much stronger with 58% of respondents on the left asking for a moratorium with only 44% saying the same on the right.

Part of this line of thinking could be driven by the stark contrast between policy positions displayed by members of both sides. Earlier this month, Bernie Sanders proposed a bill to ban the development of artificial superintelligence, while President Trump rejected the idea on the grounds that America should lead the AI race.

Although the poll offers some interesting insight into Americans’ growing fears around AI development, questions linger in the wake. For instance, what do the different age groups within the nation think of AI’s future and humanity? What about gender or financial class? All of these categories have the power to sway personal opinion, and for now, this information remains unknown.

Blaze News reached out to Politico for clarification on polltaker demographics, but we did not receive a response by the deadline.

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