Infographic – U.S. Public Backs A.I. Regulation

Click on image for full-size view (YouGov)

24 June 2023. A recent survey shows a solid bipartisan majority of U.S. adults favors at least some government regulation of artificial intelligence, including people who say they use A.I. The polling company YouGov reported the results last month as part of their surveys conducted for the Economist magazine.

The online YouGov poll asked a panel of 1,500 Americans age 18 and over in May 2023 about their use and views on A.I. Among the survey items, respondents were asked if A.I. should be heavily regulated by government, somewhat regulated, or not regulated at all. Some seven in 10 respondents (72%)  say A.I. should be heavily (35%) or somewhat (37%) regulated by government, with 8 percent favoring no regulation, and about one in five (21%) not sure.

The proportion of the public favoring government regulation of A.I. largely increases with age. Among younger respondents, those age 18 to 29, 12 percent want no government regulation of A.I., compared to five percent among respondents age 65 and older. But even among the younger respondents, about a quarter (27%) favor heavy government regulation of A.I., a percentage that increases through the age categories to four in 10 (41%) among respondents age 65 and up.

Respondents using A.I. are generally younger and better educated, with about four in 10 (42% to 44%) of respondents age 18 to 44, and roughly one-third (30% to 36%) of those with college or post-graduate education indicating they use A.I. somewhat or very often. But even among A.I. users, half (49%) favor some government regulation of A.I., with another 35 percent wanting heavy A.I. regulation.

And the question of A.I. regulation by government appears to achieve what few issues in the U.S. can claim: bipartisan support. About eight in 10 Democrats (79%) want government to heavily or somewhat regulate A.I., not much more than the 73 percent of Republicans. Independents are less likely to favor A.I. regulation, due to three in 10 (29%) not sure.

YouGov sampled 1,500 participants that opted-in to its U.S. survey panel, with the poll conducted 20 to 23 May 2023. The company stratified the sample by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration.

More from Science & Enterprise:

• Infographic – Major A.I. Work Impact Expected
• Infographic – Americans Uncomfortable With A.I. in Health
• Infographic – U.S. More Concerned Than Excited About A.I.

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