AI: An Underestimated but Growing Issue in the American Elections

AI Raises Concerns but Remains on the Backburner in Elections

As the midterm elections approach in the United States, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly concerning topic among Americans. Despite this, its impact on the election remains unclear. A majority of Americans surveyed express worries about AI. Communities across the country have resisted data center projects, slowing their development. On social media, anger towards AI companies and their leaders is evident, sometimes even justifying violence.

However, experts indicate that election campaigns are focusing on other issues. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos, more than 60% of Republicans and Democrats believe the government should regulate AI to ensure economic stability and public safety, and that the development of this technology should slow down. Alec Tyson, polling director for Ipsos Public Affairs, stated, “When you ask people what concerns them, AI and data centers are not at the top of the list — at least not yet.”

For now, broader topics like the economy and immigration remain priorities for many voters. Tyson adds, “There is a certain amount of oxygen for the main topics that concern Americans, and we are living in a very active moment. The possibility of another topic emerging must be a fairly acute or powerful concern. And we are not seeing that nationally with AI at this time.”

A Divided Political Landscape

There is also a lack of clear partisan lines regarding AI. Data Center Watch, a group that tracks data center projects and their opposition, found that 55% of politicians publicly opposing large projects were Republicans and 45% were Democrats. There is also bipartisan concern regarding the impact of AI chatbots on children. While Republican politicians have led the charge to repeal state laws on AI, disagreements persist within both parties.

Despite this, with several months until the election, debates — and confrontations — surrounding AI are intensifying. Tech leaders warn that their companies could disrupt people's lives. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, warned that AI could eliminate half of entry-level office jobs, while Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, stated that Democratic voters might see their economic power diminish, while “working-class voters, often men,” would benefit.

Activists have responded, most of their efforts being peaceful, including protests and messages to lawmakers. However, some opposition has turned violent. Three suspects reportedly attacked Sam Altman's home during two separate incidents over several days, and some reactions on social media suggested that these attacks were justified. This violence has highlighted a latent frustration among Americans.

Lobbying and Economic Stakes

Meanwhile, well-funded interest groups are already spending millions on lobbying. “Much of the work in political science has well documented that ordinary Americans tend to follow the rhetoric or position of the leaders they align with,” explains Tyson. Groups like Americans for Responsible Innovation, led by Brad Carson, focus on educating policymakers about AI to prepare them for upcoming political debates. Carson, a former Democratic congressman, opposes efforts to repeal state regulations on AI and is also part of Public First Action, which is affiliated with super PACs dedicated to supporting candidates who will advocate for public protections against AI.

They represent a response to Leading the Future, a super PAC primarily funded by OpenAI President Greg Brockman and tech investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. According to Axios, Leading the Future has raised $140 million, while Public First Action has $50 million in cash — of which $20 million comes from Anthropic.

Data Centers as a Point of Friction

Data centers have already become a point of friction at the local level. Opposition to these projects has blocked or delayed developments worth $64 billion across the country, according to Data Center Watch. At the federal level, lawmakers like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) support a pause on data center development.

Candidates running on key AI-related platforms have already seen funds from groups like LTF and PFA flow into their campaigns. This is what happened to New York State legislator Alex Bores, who is running for re-election and co-sponsored a bill aimed at adding security and transparency requirements for large AI model developers. Despite LTF's larger war chest, Carson believes public opinion is on his side and asserts that it is time to oppose efforts to block state regulations.

Potential Impact on Employment

Concerns about job loss could also rise to the forefront of voters' worries regarding AI as early as this summer, according to Brendan Steinhauser, CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI, a nonprofit organization aimed at “defending humanity” in the age of AI. “Depending on what the technology does and what industry leaders say about it, I think that gives me a signal that this could happen very quickly,” he says.

The impact on jobs is also a key concern for many members of Generation Z, according to Tyson. The Alliance tracks online layoffs attributed to AI. So far, it has recorded over 110,000 job losses in the United States. Many have occurred in large tech companies — 30,000 alone from layoffs at Oracle. But Steinhauser estimates that the threat could soon become more tangible, as job losses are expected to affect everything from legal professions to general administrative jobs. “That’s when I think it will become a much more salient topic across the country,” he says.

The Impact of Public Opinion

Carson claims he regularly hears from pollsters that “they have never seen a topic rise so quickly in the rankings as AI.” Although many voters do not mention it spontaneously, “if you introduce the idea of AI and raise concerns such as prices or jobs, they are very relevant.” However, it may still be difficult to vote based on this. “Candidates themselves do not necessarily differentiate clearly on how they wish to approach AI because it is an emerging and nascent topic,” he says.

If voters are not (yet) closely attentive to AI-related issues, why are industry leaders spending millions on campaigns? Experts explain that it is because there is still much to gain. “This public story is a bit different from who actually holds the power,” says Daniel Schiff, associate professor of political science at Purdue University. Headlines regarding Anthropic's decision to stand firm against the Pentagon and mass surveillance, for example, may not reach many American voters, but could help to “position themselves in relation to the government.”

Carson states that AI is “a great topic to run on” because “most politicians are just beginning to realize how powerful public sentiment is regarding safeguards on AI. But you will see more and more people adopt it because an entrepreneurial politician sees an opportunity here.” Of course, the billionaires behind Leading the Future “will try to destroy you, but there is a limit to that, right? They can’t destroy all of us.”