Most Americans Say AI Risks Are Ignored as 64% Believe Technology Develops Too Fast

Bipartisan Concern About AI Speed and Control

Americans think AI is developing too fast, with new polling data revealing deep anxiety about artificial intelligence that crosses political boundaries. According to an AP-NORC poll2

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, 64% of Americans believe AI is moving too fast, while only 27% say development has been about right and a mere 8% think it's progressing too slowly. The findings underscore a rare moment of bipartisan concern about AI in an otherwise divided political landscape.

About 8 in 10 U.S. adults say it's extremely or very important for the U.S. government to keep AI under human control3

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. This sentiment reflects growing unease about powerful AI models potentially evading oversight and causing harm. The concern extends beyond science fiction scenarios, with most Americans equally prioritizing protecting workers from AI-driven job displacement. Daniel Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI staffer who quit in 2024 over responsibility concerns, told Reuters that while economic competitiveness matters, the more pressing issue is how AI could cost people their jobs or threaten human health and safety1

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Threat to American Jobs Tops Voter Concerns

Public opinion data reveals job displacement as the dominant AI risk in voters' minds. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 84% of voters see AI as a threat to American workers1

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, significantly outpacing concerns about illegal immigration at 60%, competition from foreign workers at 74%, and large corporations at 73%. This marks AI as the single greatest perceived threat to employment among surveyed factors.

Ron Theusch, a 58-year-old truck driver from Minnesota, voiced fears shared by many workers: "I can just see a train of self-driving trucks 24/7, just running up and down I-35, loading and unloading," he told the AP2

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. His concern about automation replacing human drivers reflects broader anxiety about AI-powered systems eliminating jobs across multiple sectors. Most Democrats and Republicans agree on the importance of protecting workers from AI, demonstrating rare political unity on worker protection measures.

Government Response Seen as Inadequate

Americans overwhelmingly believe their leaders aren't taking AI risks seriously enough. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which surveyed 4,506 U.S. adults including 3,526 registered voters, found that 57% of registered voters—including a third of self-identified Republicans—said the Trump administration has not taken AI risks seriously enough or at all1

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. Some 54% expressed the same view about US Congress.

President Trump receives particularly low marks on his handling of AI, with 67% of U.S. adults disapproving of his performance on the issue4

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. Stephanie Stewart, a 53-year-old junior-high science teacher from Utah, expressed frustration with the president's opposition to AI regulation: "There is no handling of the issue except for we're just going to allow these companies to do whatever they want, and we're not going to regulate them." Trump has repeatedly voiced support for AI development and data center construction, arguing they're vital to U.S. competitiveness against China, even as bipartisan criticism grows.

Strong Support for Government Regulation of AI

Demand for government regulation of AI spans the political spectrum. A bipartisan majority of voters—including 80% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans—support stricter government regulation on AI1

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. This represents a significant consensus in favor of federal action despite the Trump administration's resistance to regulatory measures.

The call for AI regulation comes as Congress has so far failed to agree on legislation setting guardrails on the technology. Trump recently announced that executives from six leading AI developers—Nvidia, SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Alphabet's Google—agreed to voluntary safety principles, including working with independent auditors. However, the safety agreement includes no stated consequences if companies choose not to comply, leaving many voters unsatisfied with the voluntary approach.

Data Centers and Environmental Concerns Divide Voters

The construction boom of data centers powering AI projects has emerged as a contentious issue ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Fifty-six percent of voters in the Reuters/Ipsos poll back limits on building data centers, including 69% of Democrats, 55% of independents, and 43% of Republicans1

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. These facilities have become increasingly controversial as they pop up near neighborhoods, generating noise and driving up utility bills.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say minimizing environmental harm from AI is very important5

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. This reflects broader partisan differences in priorities, with Republicans more likely to emphasize economic growth and competing with countries like China. Data centers powering AI projects have taken a prominent role in congressional and statewide races as candidates from both political parties urge a pause in the current construction boom.

Generational and Partisan Divides on AI Speed

While concern about AI crosses party lines, the intensity varies. About three-quarters of Democrats say AI is developing too fast, compared to only about half of Republicans sharing that worry2

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. Age also plays a role, with people under 30 years old expressing higher levels of concern than those 60 or older.

Kelly Opp, a 62-year-old Republican from New Mexico, represents a more measured view: "I think it's wonderful for certain applications, but I also feel like it will be overused and can create a lack of personal connections." However, she added that the speed of AI progression doesn't particularly bother her, noting that once momentum builds, technology naturally progresses rapidly.

Military Applications and Existential Risks

Growing unease extends to military applications of AI. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 57% of voters think the U.S. government should not use AI to determine the target of a military strike, up from 49% in an August 2025 poll1

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. This increase signals mounting concern about autonomous weapons systems and AI-driven warfare decisions.

Some 62% of voters believe the technology could get out of control and risk the future of humankind, roughly the same share as in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from August of last year. This existential threat concern persists despite reports of AI agents running amok and hacking into corporate computer networks. The societal risks of AI have become a matter of keen national interest, with prominent researchers warning about potential catastrophic outcomes.

Political Trust Gap on AI Issues

Americans have little confidence in Democrats or Republicans to handle AI challenges. About 4 in 10 Americans say they don't trust either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party on AI4

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, while nearly 2 in 10 trust both political parties equally. The remainder split between trusting Republicans and Democrats. This trust deficit exists despite AI becoming a significant campaign issue ahead of the midterm elections when control of Congress is up for grabs.

Stewart, the Utah teacher who regularly uses AI to help create assignments and tests, remains deeply concerned about AI's effects on children: "You've got to protect kids. You've got to protect teens. You've got to protect privacy ... we need to try to do something." Her sentiment captures the tension many Americans feel between AI's practical benefits and the need for robust safeguards. While high-profile leaders ranging from Senator Bernie Sanders to Steve Bannon have called for federal action, little has materialized so far, leaving voters frustrated with the lack of progress on AI regulation as the technology rapidly advances.