Supermajority of respondents concerned about AI’s impact on youth
On Thursday, Americans for Responsible Innovation released a new poll examining voter attitudes toward AI’s impact on young people and AI chatbots designed to form romantic relationships. The polling finds that three out of four voters are either very or somewhat concerned about the impact AI will have on younger generations. The poll surveyed over 2,000 registered voters between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15 of this year, with a margin of error of (±) 2%. Read the full polling results.
Topline results from the poll include:
- 63% of voters say they are either somewhat or very concerned about chatbots designed to form romantic relationships with users.
- 61% say it’s unacceptable for tech companies to offer AI chatbots designed to form romantic or erotic relationships with users.
- 68% strongly agree that minors under the age of 16 should be prohibited from accessing AI chatbots designed to form romantic or erotic relationships. 82% either strongly agree or somewhat agree.
- 51% are very concerned about the impact AI will have on younger generations. 79% are either very or somewhat concerned.
“Across the country, we’re hearing accounts of Americans who’ve fallen in love with a chatbot. There’s a real risk these tools seed emotional dependence and other unhealthy behaviors – a risk that AI developers have recognized and psychologists have raised alarms about,” said ARI Senior VP of Government Affairs Doug Calidas. “It’s clear from our polling that this is something Americans are concerned about, especially when it comes to impacts on young people.”
In October, a family in Florida sued Character.ai, accusing the artificial intelligence company’s chatbots of initiating an abusive relationship with their teenage son, who took his own life. This year, the American Psychological Association urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate public harms from the underregulated relationship chatbot industry.
###
Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy advocacy in the public interest, focused on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Learn more at ARI.us.