Most Americans overwhelmingly support more artificial intelligence regulations, according to a Johns Hopkins University survey released Monday.
The university’s latest poll shows that over 70% of Americans want the right to interact with a human being rather than AI technology in medical, legal, educational and government settings.
“What was surprising to us in this new poll was that daily users of AI, and people who view AI positively, also want regulation,” Christopher Honey, a computational cognitive neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins, said in a statement.
The survey also suggests that Americans’ overall feelings towards AI were divided, as roughly one third felt positive, one third negative and one third mixed. The poll found that 80% of skilled daily AI users felt optimistic about the technology, compared to 24% of respondents who have only attempted using it a handful of times.
The survey shows that the majority of Americans are broadly in favor of “right to a human” laws, which is legislation that would enable them to opt out of interactions with AI. Of those surveyed, 79% want to deal with humans in medical care scenarios, while 76% wanted the same for legal proceedings and 74% for education.
Forty-one percent of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 held a positive outlook on AI overall, while 18% of adults 60 and older felt positive about the technology, the survey shows. Meanwhile, almost 50% of working adults ages 18 to 29 said they experienced pressure to utilize AI tools, compared to about 20% of adults ages 60 and up, according to the poll.
The new survey data comes amid reports that some people are becoming increasingly worried about privacy issues related to AI. There have also recently been mounting concerns among Americans that AI could cause them to lose their jobs.
Currently, no comprehensive federal legislation exists to regulate AI development or expressly prohibit the technology’s nationwide use, according to White & Case LLP.
Johns Hopkins University designed the survey, which was conducted by SurveyUSA from April 29 to May 4. The survey’s 2,122 participants were recruited online and completed the questionnaire themselves in English, using a browser or phone app.
(DCNF)
