On May 17, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that a majority of Americans believe that the rapid development of artificial intelligence AI technology could jeopardize the future of humanity. The poll noted that more than two-thirds of Americans are concerned about the negative impact of AI, with 61 percent believing it could threaten civilization.
Artificial Intelligence May Threaten Human Civilization
The widespread use of AI in everyday life has brought it to the forefront of public discussion since OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot became the fastest-growing app ever in terms of users. chatGPT has also opened up an AI arms race, with tech giants like Microsoft and Google launching similar products to compete with each other.
Members of Congress and AI companies have also expressed concern, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before Congress on the 16th, expressing concern about the potential misuse of the technology and calling for regulation.
Senator Cory Booker of Congress, who attended the hearing, said, "There's no way to keep this genie in a bottle. Globally, it's exploding."
The poll found that three times as many Americans expect AI to have adverse consequences than do not so foresee, with 61 percent of respondents believing AI poses a risk to humans, while only 22 percent disagreed and 17 percent were unsure.
Voters who voted for Trump in 2020 expressed an even higher degree of concern: 70 percent of Trump voters and 60 percent of Biden voters believe AI could threaten humanity.
Landon Klein, director of U.S. policy at the Future of Life Institute, said, "This shows that such a wide range of Americans are worried about the negative effects of AI." The organization previously sent an open letter calling for a six-month moratorium on AI research, which was co-signed by Tesla CEO Musk.
While Americans are generally worried about AI, their biggest concerns are crime and the economy: 77 percent support increasing police funding to fight crime, and 82 percent are worried about the risk of a recession.
The Reuters/Ipsos online poll was conducted between May 9 and May 15, interviewing 4,415 U.S. adults with a credibility interval of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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