Among other things, the report found that views on how and how to suppress AI tools do not follow the typical red state division.
Half of US adults report using at least one “major AI tool,” but new research shows that public attitudes regarding artificial intelligence regulations remain divided nationwide.
A report from 50 states published as part of the Multiuniversity Civic Health and Institutions Project (CHIP50) found that views on how and how to suppress AI tools did not follow the typical red state split. Missouri and Washington, for example, expressed their strongest views on the lack of regulatory oversight, while New York and Tennessee were most concerned about government oversight.
However, concerns about workplace disruption are almost universal. The majority in all 50 states expect AI to affect jobs within five years. Especially in the technology-rich states of Sunbelt, such as California, Massachusetts, Texas and Georgia. Meanwhile, areas such as the Corn Belt and Rust Belt are expected to see less immediate disruption.
John Weavey, an associate professor of media innovation and technology at Northeastern University and a co-author of the study, says the findings provide insight into the public views of technology that have already become part of the daily lives of many Americans.
“When state-level regulations of AI and public opinion are central to national debate, this is probably the first way of looking at how states compare their comparisons of usage, preferences and regulations,” Wihbey says.
wihbey;ATA USLU is a doctoral student in network science. David Lazer, a renowned professor at the university of political science and computer science. Mauricio Santillana, professor of physics, electrical and computer engineering. Hong QU, a doctoral student in Network Science, all collaborated on the study.
The researchers used data from a nationally representative online survey of nearly 21,000 respondents. The data was collected from April 10th to June 5th. The study honesed the public's attitude towards “an encounter with AI in their daily lives” and emerging technologies.
“It really stood out because people expect AI to affect their jobs in all situations,” USLU says. “And that expectation is also reflected in the state legislature. The federal government can treat these state-level bills and citizen perceptions as a kind of policy lab, and how it can leverage American federalism to ensure the safe deployment of AI while still remaining competitive in the AI race.”
The findings also point to deep demographic gaps related to AI use. AI adoptions are increasingly led by young, high-income adults with university education, with older, rural, and low-income adults lagging behind.
The study found that ChatGpt stands out among AI tools, with 65% of Americans reporting their name recognition and 37% using it. Gemini then had a Microsoft co-pilot at 26% and then 18%. In particular, actual usage is lagging behind name recognition. For example, 65% of respondents are aware of ChatGPT, but only about half of the reports use it.
However, frequent daily use is concentrated among small slices of users, and AI perceptions consistently outweigh actual use across all platforms, the study says.
The question of how to regulate AI is ultimately a debate of federalist policies, Wihbey says. He points out that the Trump administration has pushed a top-down regulatory approach.
“The White House will say that the big question is unlimited innovation and that AI control over the enemy will enable national security and prosperity.
The proposed moratorium on states' ability to regulate AI was included as a provision as part of President Donald Trump's massive, beautiful bill before the Senate fell to 99-1. The administration recently announced an AI action plan identifying more than 60 federal government policy action designs to enhance innovation in AI technology.
The defeat of the federal moratorium led state regulators to propose their own frameworks. States such as California and Michigan are increasing transparency requirements, increasing whistleblower protections, and introducing bills that require third-party audits.
Wihbey points out that hundreds of bills are being considered across the country.
“Many of these bills want to establish committees to address the impact of AI at the state level and the many issues of bias and the use of AI tools for employment, health screening, or other areas where bias or functional discrimination can result,” Wihbey said.
“There are also some real questions about deepfakes. This is a big issue, especially in the political field,” he says.
“This isn't abstract, it's no longer just political campaigns and celebrities,” Uslu says. “Elon Musk's recent Grok's New promotion Imagine For example, anyone can now turn a photo into a video that follows a prompt. ”
USLU continues. “On the phone, free within a minute, this is just the beginning. When these types of tools become widely accessible, we need to know how we prepare and recognize the public.
