Op-ed: Sarah Hunt and Amelia Powers Gardner: Americans’ views of AI policy are rare opportunity for bipartisan action now

As the United States prepares for the upcoming November election, partisan divisions are hardening. However, according to recent Rainey Center polling, there is a rare bipartisan opportunity in tackling issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) policy: a majority of Americans agree that sensible regulation is needed.

In our polling, we found that 75 percent of respondents believe that AI advancement raises valid security concerns, demonstrating widespread concerns over potential risks. Notably, older voters and college-educated voters are most in alignment regarding their concerns about AI.

Furthermore, 75 percent of respondents want to see a carefully regulated approach to ensure the maximization of long-term benefits from AI. On the other hand, only 8 percent of poll respondents prefer a hands-off approach.

Congress seems to be taking notice as in the U.S. Senate there is the bipartisan Senate AI Caucus co-chaired by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D,. N.M.) and Sen. Mike Rounds (R., S.D.)), while the House has the bipartisan AI Task Force co-led by Rep. Jay Obernolte (R., Calif.) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D., Calif.). Ultimately, it was heartening to see the House form its Task Force earlier this year under the leadership of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), given that the Senate has already had its AI Caucus since 2019.

It should be noted that there is hope for continued dialogue and productive collaboration across party lines on AI policy issues as they intersect with national security concerns, particularly with regard to China. Respondents to the Rainey Center AI poll indicated that 61 percent of them support making it illegal to export dangerous AI capabilities to countries which are hostile to the United States. Ultimately, there is a clear desire for international AI safety measures and lawmakers would be wise to pay attention to voters’ attitudes which are clearly supportive of maintaining American national security.

Additionally, voters have made clear that they are concerned about open source AI, with 76 percent of Rainey Center poll respondents viewing such models as being bad for society. It is clear that these concerns present an opportunity for legislators to step in and provide thoughtful guidance on how to ethically develop this technology in a manner that addresses voters’ widespread concerns.

Looking beyond attitudes on AI, there is no doubt that as its use becomes more ubiquitous for consumers that it is essential for United States to have secure supply chains and consistent access to the critical minerals needed to power up the future of the American economy. 

To that end, legislation has been proposed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.) to invest in critical mineral manufacturing facilities in the United States, while also having U.S. embassies support the efforts of U.S. critical mineral firms abroad. 

The Global Strategy for Securing Minerals Act also addresses the long-term geopolitical challenges posed by China in this space, by striving to make the United States more competitive and supporting American job creators in the process.

Ultimately, it is clear that there are a variety of concerns and opportunities raised by developments in AI technology. Whatever its future, voters’ concerns must be at the forefront of lawmakers’ minds as regulation is crafted which empowers the American economy while protecting the rights and privacy of everyday Americans.

Sarah E. Hunt is the President of the Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy. Amelia Powers Gardner is the Utah County Commissioner.