A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 84% of registered voters surveyed view artificial intelligence as a threat to American workers, reflecting widespread concern about how rapidly advancing AI could affect jobs, safety and everyday life.
The finding comes as businesses increasingly use AI for tasks ranging from coding and customer service to research, writing and data analysis. Among those surveyed, voters were more likely to identify AI as a threat to American workers than competition from foreign workers, large corporations or illegal immigration.
Concerns extend well beyond employment. Sixty-two percent of registered voters surveyed said AI could get out of control and threaten the future of humanity. The poll also found broad support for stricter government regulation of the technology. Concern about AI getting out of control was roughly unchanged from a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in August 2025.
The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is also drawing resistance. Fifty-six percent of registered voters surveyed said they support limits on the construction of data centers, which are being built across the country to provide the enormous computing capacity needed to develop and operate increasingly powerful AI systems. Data centers have faced growing scrutiny in some communities over electricity demand, utility costs and their impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
The poll also found unease about using AI in warfare. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters surveyed said the U.S. government should not use artificial intelligence to determine the target of a military strike, up from 49% in an August 2025 Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The nationwide Reuters/Ipsos survey was conducted online over six days and included 4,506 U.S. adults, including 3,526 registered voters. The poll has a margin of error of about 2 percentage points, meaning the percentages reported from the survey are estimates of broader public opinion rather than a count of every U.S. voter.
