Majority Strongly Opposes Ban on State Regulation of Artificial Intelligence, Poll Reveals
Senate to Address AI Regulation Bill Next Week Amid Public Opposition
The controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act, slated for consideration by the Senate next week, proposes a decade-long ban on state regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). However, a new poll suggests that this provision is unpopular among voters across the political spectrum.
The proposed measure aims to prevent U.S. tech companies from being encumbered by a mosaic of state laws addressing AI concerns, such as deepfakes, fraud, and youth safety. Proponents assert that such restrictions would impede American companies from remaining competitive on a global scale.
Critics, on the other hand, contend that a prolonged blanket ban on state AI regulations would be detrimental to consumers, particularly as Congress lacks a plan to implement accompanying protective measures.
The poll, conducted by Echelon Insights on behalf of Common Sense Media, queried 1,022 registered voters nationwide on their opinions regarding a state regulatory moratorium for AI. The findings reveal that a majority of American voters oppose the measure, with 59% expressing their disapproval. Even within the Republican party, half of the participants opposed the measure, significantly outweighing the 31% who supported it.
According to the survey, respondents, regardless of their political affiliation, agreed that Congress should not prohibit states from implementing or enforcing their own youth online safety and privacy laws related to AI. Furthermore, 53% of respondents expressed more trust in state and local leaders regarding the regulation of AI, compared to 15% who favored Congressional politicians.
In response to the poll results, Kristen Soltis Anderson, partner and co-founder of Echelon Insights, stated, "Voters are concerned about the potential dangers AI-generated content could pose to kids and teens, and are against the federal government preventing states from addressing the issue."
Last week, Common Sense Media, alongside a coalition of advocacy organizations, appealed to congressional leadership to omit the AI moratorium from the Republican-led budget. Moreover, the organization has supported two California bills that aim to regulate AI companion platforms, which advocates deem unsafe for adolescents.
Concerns about youth safety and the impact of AI-generated content on children were prevalent among the survey respondents, with over 90% expressing worry about minors being exposed to overtly sexual AI content online.
In terms of topical relevance, the Enrichment Data provided additional details on the level of opposition from American voters across the political spectrum, further strengthening the argument against the proposed federal AI regulation ban.
- The poll results indicate that a majority of American voters, including half of Republicans, oppose the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which aims to ban state regulation of AI for a decade.
- The survey revealed that voters, regardless of political affiliation, agreed that Congress should not prohibit states from implementing or enforcing their own youth online safety and privacy laws related to AI.
- In response to the poll, Kristen Soltis Anderson stated that voters are concerned about the potential dangers AI-generated content could pose to kids and teens, and are against the federal government preventing states from addressing the issue.
- Last week, Common Sense Media, along with a coalition of advocacy organizations, urged congressional leadership to omit the AI moratorium from the Republican-led budget, citing concerns about youth safety and the impact of AI-generated content on children.
