Majority of Americans Believe Artificial Intelligence is Bad for Society

A new survey jointly organized by The Washington Post, ABC News, and IPSOS shows that the majority of Americans hold a pessimistic view of artificial intelligence technology. According to the research, 57 percent of participants think AI is bad for society, while 42 percent argue it is beneficial.

The survey results, conducted with the participation of more than 2,500 adults, point to growing concerns regarding cybersecurity threats and critical infrastructure risks. Seventy-three percent of participants state that the risk of AI hacking secure computer systems is high or very high. Additionally, the proportion of those who view concerns that AI will eliminate job fields as a high or very high risk stands at 65 percent.

Disagreements among demographic and political groups also draw attention. While 65 percent of Americans under the age of 30 state that AI is bad for society, this rate drops to 53 percent among those over 40. On political lines, 63 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents express a negative view, while this rate is recorded at 51 percent among Republicans. On the other hand, the rate of those opposing the construction of new data centers across the US reaches 66 percent.