Artificial intelligence once felt like something out of a movie, like C-3PO from Star Wars stepping off the screen and into real life. But, now, that future is real. People use AI to help with almost every part of life, even if they don’t realize it. People once saw AI as a futuristic idea, but now it has become a key part of everyday life. How did we get here, and how do Americans feel about AI? Let’s start by looking at how public opinion about AI has changed over time.
Back in 1965, a Louis Harris & Associates Poll asked Americans if they felt threatened by automation at work. Only 8% said yes. More than three in four said it wouldn’t make a difference. Most people didn’t worry about machines or robots taking their jobs. People saw technology back then more as a tool to help with work than a replacement for human workers.
That view has shifted as the technology has radically improved.
By 2008, awareness and concern about automation increased. A NORC/General Social Survey found that, of those full-time workers aged 25-62 who used a computer at work, 16% had heard of jobs at their own workplace being replaced by computers or some form of automation in the past three years. Technology kept advancing but most people had not yet seen the effects of automation in their own job.
In 2011, public awareness of artificial intelligence grew rapidly. A Pew Research Center for the People and Press/Princeton Survey Research Associates International poll found that 22% of Americans heard a lot about IBM’s computer Watson winning Jeopardy!, and 35% heard a little. So, more than half of Americans had heard about AI and started to pay attention.
In 2017, as AI tools became more a part of everyday life, another Pew poll (Abt Associates/Pew Research Center) found that 46% of Americans used voice-controlled digital assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Microsoft Cortana. That meant almost half the population was now interacting with AI at least occasionally.
Now, in the “Age of AI,” what do people think? Earlier this year, a Quinnipiac University Poll found that 56% of Americans believe AI will decrease job opportunities. Only 13% said AI would help create more jobs. Another 24% of people believed that AI wouldn’t change the number of jobs.
But what about the benefits of AI? That same poll showed that many people already use AI tools in everyday life. They use it in many different aspects of work like writing emails, creating images, and analyzing data. Some now use AI to have conversations with bots. But there’s plenty of concern, too. Americans started asking who’s responsible for AI and who makes the rules?
That Quinnipiac poll from earlier this year found 69% of Americans said the government wasn’t doing enough to regulate AI. Another concern was trust. When asked whether AI is being developed by people or companies who represent their interests (public’s best interest), the majority said no or that they didn’t know enough to say. Only 5% thought AI developers were on their side.
Over time, Americans have started using AI more in daily life. Polls show that even as the use increases, many remain unsure about how AI works and who controls it. Most believe the government is not doing enough to regulate AI. AI is advancing fast but the public still has many questions and concerns.
This post was written by Marist Poll Media Team member Tommy Rogers.