September 17, 2026

Huge Majorities Want AI Stopped Immediately

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Huge majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are telling lawmakers to pull the plug on AI and crack down on Big Tech before catastrophe strikes. These findings are consistent across dozens of polls conducted over the past decade – with public opinion turning even more sharply against AI and Big Tech in the last few years, as AI company recklessness and abuses have become more evident. Voters overwhelmingly oppose AI’s development and deployment, support aggressive regulation or prohibition of AI, support state-level regulation of AI, do not want data centers, and want Big Tech companies forcefully punished and stopped.

 

Across Parties, the Public Agrees AI Must be Regulated

Voters Chose Mandatory Safety and Security Standards for AI Whenever It Was an Option (AI Policy Institute: June 2026).

• 78% of voters support mandatory regulation of AI over any alternative.
• 63% of voters would rather ban AI completely rather than leave it unregulated.
• 86% of voters want a guaranteed off-switch for AI – including 88% of Democrats, 86% of independents, and 83% of Republicans.
• 82% of voters say companies should not build smarter-than-human AI until they can show that it can be controlled.

Almost all Americans (97%) Agree That AI Safety and Security Should Be Subject to Rules and Regulations (Gallup / Special Competitive Studies Project: Sept. 2025).

• 80% of U.S. adults believe the government should maintain rules for AI safety and data security, even if it means developing AI capabilities more slowly. This view is held by 88% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans and Independents.
• More than seven in 10 (72%) say independent experts should conduct safety tests and evaluations of AI products and services.
• Six in 10 Americans distrust AI somewhat (40%) or fully (20%).
• Only 2% of U.S. adults fully trust AI’s capability to make fair and unbiased decisions, a figure within the poll’s margin of error.

AI is the Industry Americans Most Want to Regulate (YouGov: Sept. 2024).

• 72% of Americans want more regulation of the AI industry, a 15-point increase since a similar poll a year earlier. This includes 83% of Harris supporters and 66% of Trump supporters.
• Across the 40 industries asked about in the poll, AI is the industry that Americans in general and Trump supporters specifically are most eager to regulate.

Two Thirds of Americans Want AI Regulation (Center Square Voters’ Voice / Noble Predictive Insights: April 2025).

• 64% of registered voters want the government to regulate AI.

On a Bipartisan Basis, Voters Overwhelmingly Favor Candidates Who Support AI Regulation (Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute: Jan. 2024).

• 76% of voters, including 71% of Republicans, prefer a candidate running in their district who supports regulating AI because the risks it poses are so large.
• 77% of voters, including 75% of Republicans, say the government should do more to regulate AI.

By a 6-1 Margin, Americans Reject Tech Industry Self-Regulation of AI Risks (YouGov / Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute: Aug. 2023).

• 72% percent of voters said they preferred slowing down the development of AI.
• 82% of voters said they don’t trust tech company executives to self-regulate, and 56% said they would support a federal agency to regulate AI.

Only 13% of Trump 2024 Voters Say the Federal Government Should Stay Out of Regulating AI (Politico / Public First: April 2026).

• 3 out of 4 Trump supporters want either strict regulations on the AI industry or broad principles for companies to work out.
• About half of Trump supporters fear AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates.

Young People Hate AI CEOs So Passionately That It’s Almost Hard to Believe. They’re More Unpopular Than Data Centers. (CNBC’s Generation Labs: Aug. 2026)

• Around 80% of young people don’t trust Palantir CEO Alex Karp and Peter Thiel.
• Around 70% of young people don’t trust Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman.

 

Americans Losing Faith in AI’s Potential for the Economy

Young Adults in the U.S. Are Increasingly Wary of AI, Concerned It Will Take Jobs (Pew Research Center: Aug. 2026)

• 71% of adults think AI will lead to fewer jobs in the U.S. over the next two decades, up from 64% in 2024.
• 73% of adults under 30 now say AI will lead to fewer jobs, up from 61% two years ago.
• 52% of American adults were more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life.

Most Americans Think AI Development is Moving Too Fast (Economist / YouGov: May 2026).

• 71% of Americans feel that the pace of AI development is moving too fast.
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans say it is slightly or very unlikely that AI will create economic gains that benefit everyone.
• A majority of Americans (51%) feel pessimistic about AI’s long-term effects on society, twice as many as those who feel optimistic (25%).

Many Americans Are Pessimistic About AI’s Future Impact (Annenberg Public Policy Center: May 2026).

• Only 17% say the impact of AI over the next 10 years will be somewhat or very positive, compared with 42% who say it will be somewhat or very negative.
• Nearly two-thirds (65%) say the government has done too little to regulate AI, including 77% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 53% of Republicans.
• Nearly half of Americans (49%) oppose construction of new data centers in their area, while just one out of five (21%) support it.

There is a Large Lack of Trust in AI (IPSOS: March 2026).

• Almost 75% of Americans believe there needs to be action taken by the government to prevent job loss from AI.
• 66% of Americans agreed that the development of AI needs to slow down, while 76% feel that people need to keep up with the advancement of AI.
• Only 11% of corporate communicators believe existing ethical policies are sufficient for widespread AI adoption.

Voters Increasingly Think AI Is Likely to Hurt the Economy (Data For Progress: February 2026).

• 46% of voters think AI will likely hurt the economy, rising nine points from December 2025.
• Only 28% of voters think AI will likely help the economy, down eight points from December 2025.

Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose New Data Centers Near Them (Heatmap Pro / Embold Research: June 2026).

• At least seven in ten Americans oppose data centers being built near their home.
• More than half of Americans blame data centers “a lot” for rising electricity prices and demand.

Advancements in AI Will Likely Lead to Decreased Job Opportunities According to 70% of Americans (Quinnipiac: March 2026).

• These views are shared among Americans regardless of work environment, with 71% of white-collar workers and 73% of blue-collar workers believe AI will lead to a decrease in job opportunities.
• Gen Z is the most concerned, with 81% thinking there will be a decrease.
• Americans are overwhelmingly unwilling (80%) to work in a job where their direct supervisor was an AI program.

Americans Overwhelmingly Reject the Idea that Competition with China Justifies Leaving AI Unregulated (Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute: July 2024).

• Three out of four American voters are skeptical of the argument that the U.S. should race ahead to build ever more powerful artificial intelligence, unconstrained by domestic regulations, in an effort to compete with China.
• 75% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans believe that “taking a careful, controlled approach” to AI by preventing the release of tools that terrorists and foreign adversaries could use against the U.S. is preferable to “moving forward on AI as fast as possible to be the first country to get extremely powerful AI.”

 

Americans Reject Federal Preemption of State AI Regulation

Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose Federal Preemption of State AI Regulations (YouGov / Institute for Family Studies: Nov. 2025).

• American voters oppose adding artificial intelligence preemption provisions to the National Defense Authorization Act by a decisive 3-to-1 margin. 57% of Americans oppose congressional efforts to block states from regulating AI through military spending legislation, while only 19% support such measures.
• Among Trump voters, 43% oppose preemption compared to just 25% who support it. Among Harris voters, 70% oppose the provision.

By a Greater Than 2-1 Margin, Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Federal Preemption of State AI Regulation (Echelon Insights / Common Sense Media: May 2025).

• Nearly three out of five likely voters oppose a moratorium on state-level AI regulation, including half of Republicans. A majority (53%) of likely voters said they trusted state and local leaders more than politicians in Congress when it comes to regulating AI appropriately.
• By a more than three-to-one margin, voters trust states to regulate AI over the federal government.
• 81% of likely voters agree that Congress should not ban states from enacting or enforcing their own laws when it comes to protecting kids’ safety and privacy online. 87% agree that states should be able to enforce laws and regulations around social media, including requiring warning labels for children.

 

Americans Are Demanding Stronger AI Regulation

68% of US Voters Back Sanders/Casar Bill for AI Pause, Ban on Superintelligence (Data for Progress: Sept. 2026)

• 72% of Democrats, 70% of independent and third-party voters, and 63% of Republicans support the bill.

80% of Voters Say Go Slow on AI Development (Fox News: Dec. 2025)

• 8 in 10 voters favor a careful approach to developing AI to manage potential risks to the U.S.
• Only 1 in 10 voters think the president should regulate AI.

Americans Overwhelming Support (73%) “Slow, Heavily Regulated” Development of AI (Future of Life Institute: Oct. 2025).

• 57% of adults reject the development of “expert-level AI” under current conditions; 17% feel it should never be developed; and 40% think it should be halted until proven controllable and safe. Shockingly, only 5% of adults agree that AI should be developed “as quickly as possible.”
• Almost three-in-four Americans support regulation “like pharmaceuticals with extensive testing before deployment.” Two-thirds (64%) of adults would like to see an “immediate pause” on the development of advanced AI until the technology is proven to be safe.

Public Worries About Inadequate AI Regulation (Pew Research Center: April 2025).

• Both the public and experts worry the U.S. government will not go far enough in regulating AI. About six in ten U.S. adults and 56% of experts surveyed say they’re more concerned about this than about the government going too far.
• Majorities in both parties – 64% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans – are concerned about insufficient AI regulation.
• 59% of the public and 55% of surveyed experts have little or no confidence in U.S. companies to develop and use AI responsibly.

Americans Agree the Country Needs More AI Regulation (Quinnipiac: April 2025).

• 73% of Americans think that businesses are not doing enough to be transparent about their use of AI.
• 69% of Americans think that the government is not doing enough to regulate AI.
• 86% of Americans are either very or somewhat concerned about political leaders using AI to distribute fake or misleading information.

Americans Are Worried About AI Risks (Pew Research Center: Sept. 2025)

• A majority of Americans (57%) rate the risks of AI for society as high. Far fewer (25%) see high benefits. 

 

Americans Support a Wide Range of Specific AI Regulations

Americans Want Stronger Rules for AI in Schools (The Century Foundation: Aug. 2026)

• 77% of voters want stricter rules to limit AI use in school or the government to set stronger standards concerning how such tools are used, including 76% of Democrats and 80% of Republicans.

Americans Support Required Pre-Approval of New AI Technologies (AI Policy Institute for Transformer: Jan. 2025).

• 73% of Americans support requiring companies to implement safety measures and security standards for advanced AI models, and mandatory pre-deployment approval from a government board that certified companies have properly accounted for extreme risks. Democrats and Republicans gave this proposal identical levels of support.
• Only 7% of Americans want no regulation of AI.

Americans Overwhelmingly Favor Requiring Disclosure of Deepfake Political Ads (Tech Policy Press / YouGov: Aug. 2024).

• 87% of voters back a disclosure requirement for generative AI in political ads.
• 78% of voters want a ban on deceptive AI-generated content on social media that targets a candidate for federal office with the intent of influencing an election or soliciting funds.
• 77% of voters want candidates for federal office to be able to sue to take down content when their voice or likeness is used in deceptive AI-generated content.

Voters Overwhelmingly Believe in Regulating Deepfakes and the Use of Artificial Intelligence (Data for Progress / Accountable Tech: Feb. 2024)

• 85% of Democrats, 84% of Independents, and 81% of Republicans believe AI companies should be required to label AI-generated content when it’s used to influence an election.

Americans Favor Regulation to Protect Creators from AI Training (Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute: May 2024).

• 60% of respondents said AI companies should not be able to train freely on public data, and nearly three out of four respondents said companies should be required to compensate the creators of that data.
• 78% said there should be regulations on the use of public data to train AI models.
• 61% favored taxing AI companies’ high energy use to support and upgrade the electrical grid infrastructure.

Parents Want More Guardrails on AI for Their Children (Echelon Insights: February 2026).

• 79% of parents want to be involved in decisions relating to AI tools at their children’s schools.
• Parents overwhelmingly (86%) believe AI chatbots should be required by law to provide warnings to minors before displaying text or content related to violence, self-harm, or abuse.
• 85% of parents think it should be required by law to alert a minor’s parents if their child discusses something harmful or illegal with a chatbot.
• 84% of parents would prefer having parental controls over AI chatbots, allowing them to limit what topics their children can discuss with chatbots.
• 79% of parents feel minors need permission from a parent before using chatbots.

There is Massive Public Concern About Impact of AI Chatbots and Companions on Kids (Echelon Insights / Common Sense Media: May 2025).

• 85% of registered voters are concerned about the effect of AI chatbots and AI companions on kids and teenagers.
• 92% of registered voters are concerned about the impact of deepfakes.
• 93% of registered voters are concerned about kids being exposed to AI-generated sexualized content.

Americans Worried About AI Deployment in Transportation, Job Decisions, Lending Decisions (Axios / Illinois Institute of Technology: Dec. 2021).

• More than 70% of respondents distrust the use of AI for self-driving buses and airplane autopilot systems.
• 69% percent said they would limit the use of AI for hiring decisions.
• Nearly 60% distrust AI for loan applications and mortgage rates.
• More than seven in ten liberals and conservatives overwhelmingly agree that there should be public or government oversight of the use of algorithms.
• Three-quarters of those polled said tech companies are too big (80% of liberals and 83% of conservatives).
• 81% think the government should be doing more to protect online privacy.

About 79% of Americans Say a Human Being Should Always Make The Final Decision Before Any Use of Lethal Force (Information Technology and Innovation Foundation: Feb. 2026).

• 81% of Republicans and Democrats believe humans should always make the final decision before any use of lethal force.
• About 75% feel that AI technology isn’t reliable enough to be trusted with life-or-death military decisions.
• A little over half (54%) of adults are very concerned about AI-controlled weapons that select and fire on targets without human involvement.
• Only 21% of Americans support developing and deploying AI-controlled weapons.

 

Americans Oppose AI Data Centers

Worries About AI Transcend All Demographic Divides (NBC News Decision Desk: Aug. 2026)

• 69% of Americans oppose an AI data center being built in their local area, including 45% who strongly oppose the idea.
• 70% are more worried about AI compared to just 30% who are excited about it.

Massive Collapse in Support for AI Data Centers (Embold Research and Heatmap Pro: Aug. 2026)

• 75% of Americans now oppose building AI data centers in their area, including 61% registering strong opposition.
• Data centers are 43 points underwater with Republicans, 65 points underwater with independents, and 75 points underwater with Democrats.

Cool Your Servers! Voters Reject Data Centers (Fox News: July 2026)

• By a 40-point margin, 70% of voters oppose building data centers in their area to support artificial intelligence (30% favor).
• Nearly 8 in 10 voters prefer slower data center construction to address environmental and community concerns.
• About 7 in 10 voters in every age group oppose building data centers.

Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Oppose Data Center Construction in Their Community (Economist/YouGov: Aug. 2026)

• 63% of Americans would somewhat or strongly oppose a new data center being built in their community, while only 19% would support such a project.
• About half of Americans say that the construction of new data centers is a bad thing for the country.
• Majorities of Democrats (71%) and Independents (66%) would oppose such construction, as would about half (52%) of Republicans.

Americans Back a Moratorium on Construction of AI Data Centers (Data for Progress: June 2026).

• 63% of voters – including 67% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 58% of Republicans – support pausing the construction of AI data centers for at least one year.