AI and Human Enhancement: Americans’ Openness Is Tempered by a Range of Concerns
Public not convinced that certain physical and cognitive enhancements would lead to clear improvements in people’s lives … And some are skeptical that several AI applications would have a positive impact
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- AI and Human Enhancement: Americans’ Openness Is Tempered by a Range of Concerns
- Majority says brain chip implants for improved cognitive abilities would be bad idea for society; public more open to other applications of human enhancement and AI
- Majorities think higher standards should be used in testing the safety of some developing technologies, not just existing standards
- Partisans differ in their concerns about government regulation of technologies for AI, human enhancement
- Across AI and human enhancement applications, public sees mitigating steps that would make their use more acceptable
- Americans lean toward concern over excitement when it comes to the increased use of AI in daily life … And public views are varied when it comes to three specific AI applications
- Americans explain in their own words what makes them either more concerned or more excited about the increased presence of AI in daily life
- Americans are concerned about AI systems that could know people’s thoughts and make important life decisions for them
- Older adults and women are more likely than others to express at least some concern about some possible AI developments
- Whose experiences and views are taken into account when AI programs are designed? Views vary depending on the demographic group in question
- Public is divided on whether AI programs can be designed to make fair decisions consistently
- Plurality of Americans think widespread use of facial recognition by police would be a good idea
- Widespread use of facial recognition technology by police seen more negatively by younger adults, those who have hear a lot about the topic
- 57% of Americans say the widespread use of facial recognition technology by police won’t change crime rates in the U.S.
- Majorities believe facial recognition would help find missing persons, solve crimes but also think it would be used to surveil Black, Hispanic neighborhoods
- 48% of Black adults say police definitely would use facial recognition to monitor Black, Hispanic neighborhoods more often than other neighborhoods
- 60% of Americans say people should assume they are being monitored in public
- Black adults less likely than Hispanic and White counterparts to say facial recognition will make policing fairer
- Majority of Americans don’t think facial recognition technology should be good enough evidence for arrest
- About six-in-ten say it’s acceptable for police to use facial recognition to monitor crowds, but 68% are not OK with scanning people walking down the street
- A majority of Americans say use of facial recognition software by police would be more acceptable if cops were trained in how these tools can make errors
- About half say police departments, federal agencies should play a major role in setting standards for police use of facial recognition technology
- Similar shares say government will go too far or not far enough regulating police’s facial recognition use, but this varies by party
- Roughly half of Americans favor use of facial recognition in retail stores and apartment buildings, they view other uses less favorably
- Mixed views about whether social media firms’ use of algorithms to find false information is a good idea or not
- About three-quarters of social media users say they have seen information flagged or labeled as false on the sites
- Seven-in-ten Americans say political viewpoints are being censored due to social media companies’ widespread use of algorithms to find false information
- Majorities in both parties say social media companies using algorithms to find false information is leading to censorship, but Republicans far more likely to say so
- Republicans more likely than Democrats to say social media companies’ widespread use of algorithms for finding false information is a bad idea for society
- Only one-in-ten adults think people have a lot of control over what they see on social media
- Majority say social media companies should use a mix of people, algorithms to decide what’s false on their sites … And about a third aren’t sure if people or algorithms do a better job
- Majorities say including people of various backgrounds is important when developing programs to detect false information on social media; those who have heard at least a little about these algorithms are particularly likely to say so
- About seven-in-ten say social media companies should prioritize accuracy over speed when using algorithms to find false information on their sites
- 51% say social media companies should play a major role in setting standards for use of algorithms to find false information; 40% say federal agencies should
- 53% say their greater concern is that government will not go far enough regulating social media companies’ use of algorithms aimed at false information
- Majorities across parties not confident in social media firms to use algorithms aimed at false information appropriately, but Republicans stand out
- Americans resist deferring to algorithms on key decisions, particularly for medical treatments
- Hispanic or Black adults more likely than White adults to favor using algorithms to make final decisions for job interviews, parole, medical treatments
- Americans more likely to say the widespread use of driverless cars would be bad rather than good for society
- Majority of Americans say they wouldn’t want to ride in a driverless vehicle, but men, adults under 50 and those with a college degree are more open to the idea
- About one-in-five Americans say they’d be extremely or very comfortable sharing the road with driverless cars
- Men, younger adults and those who have heard a lot about driverless cars more likely to say they would be good for society
- Most say the widespread use of driverless cars would result in job loss, system hacking; still, a majority sees benefits for older adults, those with disabilities
- Fewer than one-in-ten adults say driverless vehicles will decrease income gaps among Americans
- Americans somewhat divided on impact of driverless vehicles on injuries, deaths from traffic accidents
- Public more likely to prioritize saving those inside rather than outside of a driverless car, but many are unsure
- Strong public support for driverless cars to have higher testing standards than regular vehicles
- A majority of Americans say companies that design driverless cars should play a major role in setting standards for them
- A slight majority of Americans are concerned that the government won’t go far enough in regulating driverless cars, but views are highly partisan
- Driverless cars seen as more acceptable if there were regular reports on accidents, cars clearly labeled
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