Americans increasingly fear AI poses extinction and economic risks

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 16:44 · Archive

A poll found 63% of Americans see at least moderate risk that AI could destroy humanity, with AI now ranking among the top ten American fears.

A poll by POLITICO found 63% of Americans see at least a moderate risk that artificial intelligence could destroy humanity. According to a long-running survey by Chapman University of 1,200 adults in 2026, concerns about AI now rank among the top ten American fears, above biological warfare, terrorist attacks and government tracking of personal data. Fear that AI will harm the political process ranked third overall, whilst concerns about economic harm came seventh.

When asked to elaborate on their fears, respondents cited romantic chatbot partners, AI work to genetically engineer babies, and technology that continuously monitors workers. "People's fears about AI are much broader than concerns about automation or job displacement," said Seth Benzell, an assistant professor at Chapman University who studies the economics of AI. Some AI technologies inspired more hope than fear, including those related to producing clean energy and medical treatments.

Amongst those polled, people already using AI were less afraid of its potential effects. Researchers noted that AI was the only issue appearing twice in the top ten fears list. As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into everyday life, experts expect concerns about it to remain a significant part of national conversation.

How it is being reported

• More Americans are now worried about AI than biological warfare and terrorism, poll finds‘People’s fears about AI are much broader than concerns about automation or job displacement,’ says Seth Benzell, an assistant professor at Chapman UniversityIndependent Tech · 20 Oct, 16:28
• AI could go rogue. Washington needs answers to these five questions ASAPSince Jacob Coxon's posts sparked AI fears, a poll found 63% of Americans see at least a moderate risk that artificial intelligence ends humanity.Fox News · 19 Oct, 10:00

In this story: Jacob Coxon · Anthropic · Chapman University · Seth Benzell · Washington

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