Quinnipiac poll: most Americans want AI development slowed or stopped
A Quinnipiac University poll finds that most Americans want AI development to slow down. Of the respondents, 47 percent want to reduce the pace, and 30 percent want a full stop until safety has been verified. Only five percent want faster development. Taken together, the first two groups come to 77 percent.
The poll also asked about oversight and trust. 86 percent support the independent safety standards currently under debate for AI companies, even if those standards slow progress. 73 percent worry that AI could eventually threaten humanity's survival. And 74 percent have little or no trust in the leaders of AI companies.
Chetan Jaiswal of Quinnipiac University drew the conclusion from the numbers: "Taken together, these results suggest that the public wants safeguards that do not depend simply on taking company leaders at their word."
The poll surveyed 1,202 US adults from September 24 to 27, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
Key facts
- 47 percent of respondents want AI development to slow down, and 30 percent want a full stop until safety has been verified; only five percent want it faster.
- 86 percent support the independent safety standards currently under debate for AI companies, even if they slow progress.
- 73 percent worry AI could eventually threaten humanity's survival, and 74 percent have little or no trust in AI company leaders.
- The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,202 US adults from September 24 to 27, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
Why it matters
The poll puts numbers on public attitudes toward the pace of AI. Only five percent want faster development, while 47 percent want it slowed and 30 percent want a full stop until safety has been verified. The 86 percent support for the independent safety standards under debate holds even on the condition that they slow progress, so the backing is not limited to costless rules.
Who it affects
AI companies are the direct subject: 74 percent of respondents have little or no trust in their leaders, and 86 percent back independent safety standards for them. Chetan Jaiswal of Quinnipiac University frames the result as a public wish for safeguards that do not rest on taking company leaders at their word. The respondents are US adults, so the findings describe American opinion.
How to use it
Read it as a snapshot of public sentiment, not as a tool or a product. The figures that matter most for a quick comparison are the pace question (47 percent slower, 30 percent full stop, five percent faster), the support for independent safety standards (86 percent) and the trust figure (74 percent little or no trust in company leaders).
How solid is it
The poll comes from Quinnipiac University and surveyed 1,202 US adults from September 24 to 27, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. The figures are reported as absolute shares of respondents. The source does not state the year of the poll, and it does not describe the exact wording of the poll questions.
Risks and caveats
This is a single poll with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points, so the headline shares are approximate. The source does not name which independent safety standards are under debate or who is debating them, and it does not give a breakdown by party, age or other demographics. It also does not say how the 47 and 30 percent figures relate to the remaining respondents beyond the five percent who want faster development.
“Taken together, these results suggest that the public wants safeguards that do not depend simply on taking company leaders at their word”
— Chetan Jaiswal, Quinnipiac University