Chapman University Survey on American Fears: AI Anxiety Ranks in the Top 10 for the First Time

In the 12th annual Survey of American Fears conducted by Chapman University, concerns regarding artificial intelligence have appeared among the country's top 10 fears for the first time. In the study, which included more than 1,200 participants, corrupt government officials were recorded as the number one fear for the 11th consecutive year.

For the first time since Chapman University began the study in 2014, specific questions regarding artificial intelligence were included. According to the survey results, 51.9% of participants identified "AI damaging the political process" as a major fear, placing this concern in third place on the list. The anxiety regarding AI negatively impacting the economy found its place in seventh place with a rate of 49.7%. Meanwhile, corrupt government officials maintained their status as the greatest fear with a rate of 61.1%. Researchers on the team noted that individuals who use AI more frequently tend to report less fear regarding its potential impacts. Additionally, it was stated that the margin of error of plus or minus 3.79 percentage points makes the exact ranking of fears between the third and tenth positions difficult.