Americans’ attitudes toward advancements in generative artificial intelligence

Rapid advancements in generative AI may transform many aspects of society. However, little research has examined the public’s attitudes and opinions towards generative AI. This is critical for developing democratically informed policy. In a nationally representative survey of Americans (n = 1,497; July-August 2023), we query participants across three topics relevant to new AI tools: (a) their familiarity and usage with these technologies, (b) whether they perceived these tools to be positive or negative across a variety of applications, and (c) the extent of their agreement with several important policy positions towards AI. First, we find overall low reported usage of generative AI technologies – 60% of participants reported they have never used any AI tool. Second, we observe substantial differences in the perceived positivity of AI on society across specific applications. Americans were positive towards using AI to predict extreme weather events and write software, but thought that using AI to write news articles, draft legal documents, and classify misinformation would be net negative for society. Democrats and individuals with greater familiarity and usage of AI perceived generative AI impacts as more positive across applications. Third, we find overall low trust in new AI – and we also find overall support, on average, for policies endorsing transparency and caution when proceeding with developing new AI tools. Americans’ views towards generative AI vary across potential use cases and individuals’ familiarity with AI, demographics, and politics – all of which should be considered when developing new policies towards developing and regulating AI.