Voters Want Rigorous Safety Checks on AI Tools That Are Being Developed for Social Media Users
By Tenneth Fairclough II
Over the past year, several prominent social media companies and corporations have launched AI tools, such as chatbots, on their platforms and for their businesses, which include Meta AI and Google AI. As the prevalence of AI tools has grown, so have concerns over how these tools are being used and what they are being used for.
New polling from Data for Progress and Design It for Us tested voters’ views on increased transparency from AI companies about how they develop their products and how said products are being used. The survey also examined voters’ attitudes toward increased safety testing and regulation of AI tools before their launch for commercial use.
First, voters were asked whether they agree or disagree with a short statement about AI companies enacting policies that clearly and publicly outline how their products are made and what they are used for.
The survey finds that a large majority of likely voters (86%) agree that companies that develop AI tools should enact these sorts of policies within their operations. There is shared agreement with this statement across party lines: 89% of Democrats, 83% of Independents, and 85% of Republicans agree AI companies should enact policies that openly state how their products are made and what they are used for.
Voters were also informed about the recent launch of an AI chatbot on Snapchat called My AI and the malfunctions users have been experiencing using this tool. Voters were then asked whether they support or oppose AI tools like My AI undergoing certain safety checks and third-party testing before being used.
The survey finds that two-thirds of voters (67%) support AI tools undergoing safety checks and third-party testing before social media companies launch them, including 74% of Democrats, 64% of Independents, and 63% of Republicans.
These findings underscore voters’ belief that AI companies should be more candid about the development of their products and demonstrate support for attentive safety checks on AI tools before launching them.
Tenneth Fairclough II (@tenten_wins) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology
From May 15 to 16, 2024, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,203 U.S. likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and 2020 recalled vote. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error associated with the sample size is ±3 percentage points.