A Strong Majority of Voters Believe Congress Shouldn’t Fund AI Innovation Until It Passes AI Consumer Protection Laws
By Tenneth Fairclough II
This year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer along with Republican Senator Todd Young, Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, and Republican Sen. Mike Rounds announced a long-awaited AI Policy Roadmap outlining policy priorities for artificial intelligence (AI), including significant investments in research and development for the new technology to the tune of $32 billion in annual spending.
New polling from Data for Progress and Accountable Tech examined voters' support for funding AI innovation in the U.S. without Congress passing certain consumer protection laws. The survey also tested voters’ attitudes toward legislation tied to certain companies that are lobbying elected officials in Congress.
First, voters were asked whether they support or oppose a proposal to spend nearly $32 billion of taxpayer money to fund the research and development of AI in the U.S.
The survey finds that in a baseline ask, 3 in 5 voters oppose Congress spending taxpayer money to fund AI innovation in the U.S. Opposition toward this proposal is shared by voters across party lines, as 54% of Democrats, 63% of Independents, and 66% of Republicans oppose Congress using taxpayer money to fund AI innovation.
After reading about how advocates are pushing for Congress to pass laws that require AI companies to implement safety guidelines on AI products before funding the research and development of AI technology, voters were asked whether Congress should fund this research regardless of whether these guidelines are in place or should not fund this research until these guidelines are in place.
A strong majority of voters (73%) say Congress should not fund AI innovation until it passes laws that require AI companies to implement consumer protection guidelines. This view is shared by voters across party lines, with at least 71% of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans in agreement.
Furthermore, after being given information about lobbying efforts made by AI companies to certain members of Congress, including Senator Chuck Schumer, voters were asked again whether they support or oppose a proposal to spend nearly $32 billion of taxpayer money to fund the research and development of AI in the U.S.
The survey finds an 8-point increase in voters’ opposition toward the proposal in this informed ask, compared with the baseline ask. Independents and Republicans show stronger opposition toward the proposal (a 10-point increase and a 7-point increase, respectively) following the informed ask than Democrats (a 5-point increase).
Lastly, voters were asked whether their trust in legislation directed toward certain industries is affected after learning about lobbying efforts made by companies within those industries.
Sixty percent of voters say their trust in that type of legislation decreases after being informed about attempts to lobby elected officials, including 51% of Democrats, 64% of Independents, and 66% of Republicans.
These findings indicate how cautious voters are of the U.S. funding the AI industry without a proper regulatory process in place, and demonstrate their lack of trust in legislation created by members of Congress who are being lobbied by the same groups that the legislation affects.
Tenneth Fairclough II (@tenten_wins) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology
From June 26 to 27, 2024, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,225 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. Results for subgroups of the sample are subject to increased margins of error. Partisanship reflected in tabulations is based on self-identified party affiliation, not partisan registration. For more information please visit dataforprogress.org/our-methodology.