64% of U.S. Adults Say AI Is Moving Too Fast, AP-NORC Poll Finds

Americans want the government to keep AI under human control and protect workers, even as many doubt political leaders can handle the task. An AP-NORC poll published October 8 finds that 64% of U.S. adults think AI is developing too quickly. Just 8% say development is moving too slowly.

Shared priorities, different pressures

About eight in 10 adults say keeping AI under human control and protecting U.S. workers should be government priorities. Respondents consider both “extremely” or “very” important. Similar shares of Democrats and Republicans back those goals, as well as promoting technological innovation.

Other priorities divide the parties more sharply. Republicans are more likely to place high importance on economic growth and competition with countries such as China. Democrats are more likely to emphasize limiting environmental harm. Overall, most adults rate environmental protection and economic growth highly; about half say the same about innovation, and slightly fewer about competing with China.

For Ron Theusch, a 58-year-old truck driver in rural Alden, Minnesota, the central worry is losing jobs—including his own. He told AP he could envision self-driving trucks operating around the clock on Interstate 35, loading and unloading. His concern is about what AI might do to his livelihood, not a report that his job has already disappeared.

Concern about development speed crosses party lines, but it is substantially stronger among Democrats. Adults under 30 also express greater concern than those 60 or older. Kelly Opp, a 62-year-old Republican in Albuquerque, offered a different view in AP’s interviews. She sees useful applications but worries about overuse, weaker personal connections and people accepting information without researching it themselves. Even so, she said the speed of development does not bother her.

Demand for action, little political trust

Thirty-nine percent of adults say neither major party can be trusted to do a good job handling AI. The shares favoring one party are close: 23% trust Democrats more, while 21% trust Republicans more. Separately, 31% approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of AI; 67% disapprove.

That uncertainty extends to party supporters. Only about half of Republicans and Democrats say their own party is better equipped to handle AI issues. Roughly three in 10 in each group say neither party is. Agreement on the need for worker protection has not translated into strong confidence in either party’s ability to deliver.

Concern does not necessarily mean rejecting AI tools. In AP’s accompanying reporting, Stephanie Stewart, a junior-high science teacher in Utah, described using AI to create assignments and help with tests. She also called for protecting children, teenagers and privacy, and criticized the president’s opposition to regulation. Her account pairs practical use with a demand for safeguards.

AI is not most voters’ election guide

Ahead of the midterm election, relatively few adults report turning—or planning to turn—to AI for election information. These figures combine past use with intended use; they are not a measure of how many people have already relied on AI.

• 21% have used or plan to use AI to learn about a candidate or ballot issue.
• 12% have used or plan to use it to find information about how to vote.
• 10% have used or plan to use it for registration information; the same share for deciding whom to vote for.

The nationwide survey interviewed 2,140 adults online and by telephone from September 24–28, 2026. It used NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the U.S. population. The overall margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.