Ask Americans how they feel about AI most say They are worried. Communities have protested and halted data center projects across the US. On social media, anger at AI companies and executives is unchecked – sometimes to the point of bordering on violence.
But look at the issues most campaigns focus on, and experts say AI is far less prevalent.
more than 60 percent In a poll conducted by Ipsos earlier this year, both Republicans and Democrats agreed that the government should regulate AI for the sake of economic stability and public safety, and that development of the technology should be slowed. Still, “When you ask people, ‘What’s on your mind?’ AI and data centers aren’t rising to the top of the list – at least not yet,” says Alec Tyson, principal pollster at Ipsos Public Affairs.
For now, comprehensive topics like The economy and immigration remain priorities for many voters. “There’s a certain amount of oxygen that exists for the top issues that are on the minds of Americans, and we’re living in a very active moment,” Tyson says. “The potential for the amount of space available or any other issue to come up, it should be a very serious or powerful concern. And we’re not seeing that yet on a national level with AI.”
There is also a lack of clear partisan lines. data center watchA group tracking data center projects and their opposition found that 55 percent of politicians who publicly opposed large projects were Republicans and 45 percent were Democrats. there is also bipartisan Worry Above The impact of AI chatbot companions on children. While Republican politicians have pushed to eliminate state AI laws, there is still disagreement within both parties
Still, with the election several months away, the debate – and outright battle – over AI is heating up. Tech executives warn that their companies will impact people’s lives – Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warns AI could eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs, and Palantir CEO Alex Karp said Democratic voters may see an impact on their economic strength, while “working-class, often male voters” will benefit. The workers have pushed back. Most efforts have been peaceful, involving protests and messages to lawmakers. But some protests have turned violent. reportedly three suspects Sam Altman’s house attacked in two separate attacks within a matter of days, and in some Reactions on social media Suggested that the attacks were justified. Similar to the gleeful reaction of many in the public following the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, the violence has highlighted growing despair among Americans.
Meanwhile, well-funded interest groups are already spending millions on lobbying. Tyson says, “A lot of political science has well documented that everyday Americans in some way follow the rhetoric or positions of the leaders with whom they are aligned.” Groups like Brad Carson’s Americans for Responsible Innovation are focusing on educating policymakers about AI to prepare them for upcoming policy debates. Carson, a former Democratic congressman, opposes efforts to eliminate state AI regulations and is also part of Public First Action, which is affiliated with super pac (political action committees) dedicated to supporting candidates who would support public safety measures against AI. they are the answer future leadershipA super PAC funded primarily by OpenAI Chairman Greg Brockman and tech investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. Leading the Future has raised $140 million, according to axiosWhile Public First Action has $50 million in cash available – of which $20 million is from Anthropic.
“They’ve never seen an issue rise faster than AI.”
Data centers have already become a flashpoint locally. According to Data Center Watch, opposition to these projects has blocked or delayed $64 billion of development across the country. At the federal level, lawmakers like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) support one. Data center development halted.
Candidates running on major AI platforms have already seen groups like LTF and PFA pour money into their races. what happened To New York State Assemblyman Alex BorsJoe is currently running for re-election and originally sponsored a bill to add security and transparency requirements for large AI model developers. Despite the LTF’s large war chest, Carson believes public opinion is on his side, and says now is the time to push back against efforts to block state regulations.
Job losses could top voters’ AI concerns as early as this summer, according to Brandon Steinhauser, CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI, a nonprofit. purpose of “Protect Humanity” in the AI Age. “Based on what the technology is doing, and what industry leaders are saying about the technology, I think it signals to me that it could happen really fast,” he says. Tyson says the impact on jobs is also a major concern for many in Gen Z.
Alliance runs one online tracker The layoffs were attributed to AI. So far, more than 110,000 jobs are estimated to have been lost in the US. Have been in many big tech companies – 30,000 layoffs at Oracle alone. But Steinhauser believes the threat may soon become more widely tangible, as job losses are expected to affect everything from the legal profession to general administrative jobs. “That’s when I think this is really going to become a much more prominent issue across the country,” he says.
“Most politicians are now beginning to understand how powerful public sentiment is.”
Carson says he consistently hears from pollsters that “they’ve never seen an issue rise to the top more quickly than AI.” Although many voters may not mention it spontaneously, “if you introduce the idea of AI and then raise things like value concerns or job concerns, those are very prominent.” But it may still be difficult to vote based on that. “The candidates themselves are not clearly differentiated on how they want to approach AI because it is such a new and emerging issue,” he says.
If voters are not (yet) deeply familiar with AI issues, why are industry leaders spending millions on campaigns? Experts say this is because there is still a lot to be achieved. “That public story is a little different than who actually has power,” says Daniel Schiff, an associate political science professor at Purdue University. For example, Anthropic’s decision to take its stand against the Pentagon and headlines about mass domestic surveillance may not reach many American voters, but it may help them “position themselves in relation to the government.”
Carson says AI is “a big issue to run on” because “most politicians are just waking up to how powerful public sentiment is about railing against AI. But you’ll see more and more people embracing it because an enterprising politician sees the opening here.” Sure, the billionaires behind Leading the Future “will try to destroy you, but there’s a limit, right? They can’t destroy us all.”
