The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT has now been met with calls for government accountability – and even a temporary moratorium on future updates from some tech leaders. On Tuesday, the Biden administration revealed it’s begun seeking public commentary on potential regulations for AI software programs to curb any ethical and security dilemmas that might arise.
According to the latest data from CivicScience, a plurality of U.S. adults would at least ‘somewhat support’ federal regulation and certification of AI tools like ChatGPT (45% – with 27% claiming they ‘strongly support’ them). A third of those polled are uncertain or don’t have a strong opinion, indicating the tech still has some ways to go before widespread salience.
More Americans are concerned than not about the general proliferation of AI tools like ChatGPT, with 58% of U.S. adults expressing at least some level of concern (and 28% reporting the highest level). Just 18% percent are not at all concerned, while nearly a quarter isn’t sure – likely due to being unfamiliar with ChatGPT or similar AI.
Among those with an opinion on the matter, registered Republicans are much more likely to report being ‘very concerned’ about these AI tools than registered Democrats (50% compared to 28%, respectively), although their overall concern level is much closer (Republicans outpacing Democrats by just nine percentage points).
Concern levels are slightly higher across the board when it comes to AI tools like ChatGPT eventually displacing the need for human labor in select fields. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) are at least ‘somewhat concerned’ about the prospect of this trend. It holds similar splits across political party lines, among those with an opinion on the issue, but Democrats are closer to Republicans in reporting they’re ‘very concerned’ about AI supplanting human labor (36% and 48%, respectively).
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