Americans are more likely to expect negative than positive effects from artificial intelligence (AI) and more likely to support than oppose restrictions on the US military’s use of AI tools, according to the latest Economist/YouGov poll.
Three times as many Americans expect the impact of AI on society to be completely (14%) or mostly (33%) negative than to expect it to be completely (3%) or mostly (12%) positive (47% vs. 16%). A further 27% expect the impact to be both positive and negative. (The results are similar for AI’s economic impact.)
Most people who have not used AI themselves expect it to have a completely or mostly negative impact on society. Among them: 62% of people who have seen AI in use but have not used it themselves (only 4% expect mainly positive effects), and 60% who have never used AI or seen someone else use it (only 2% expect positive effects). Those who have used AI but do not use it regularly are more likely to experience negative effects (14% expect positive effects, 51% expect negative effects). People who use AI regularly are more likely to expect positive effects from AI than negative effects (39% vs. 26%).
Liberals are less likely than conservatives to expect positive effects from AI.
