A recent poll reveals that American teenagers regard the regulation and oversight of artificial intelligence as one of the most pressing issues for lawmakers to address. Conducted by a collaboration between the youth-led advocacy group, the Center for Youth and AI, and polling organisation YouGov, the survey provides an unprecedented look into the perspectives of young Americans regarding AI technology, ranking this concern on par with venerable societal issues such as healthcare access, social inequality, and climate change.
Administered between late July and early August, the poll included 1,017 U.S. adolescents aged 13 to 18. Remarkably, 80% of respondents expressed that it is “extremely” or “somewhat” important for lawmakers to manage the risks associated with AI. This level of concern places the issue just below healthcare in terms of priorities, surpassing other significant matters like social inequality (78%) and climate change (77%).
Saheb Gulati, 17, one of the co-founders of the Center for Youth and AI, expressed that this generation of teens has a distinct outlook shaped by their upbringing amidst digital technology. According to Gulati, this continuous exposure has led young people to confront the societal impacts of technology more directly than older generations. This sentiment is echoed by Jason Hausenloy, 19, co-founder of the same centre, who notes that despite being early adopters of AI technologies like ChatGPT, teenagers do not necessarily adopt an entirely optimistic view of the technology.
The research also indicates that nearly half of the respondents engage with AI tools such as ChatGPT multiple times weekly, which aligns with other findings suggesting that teenagers may be more adept and quicker in adopting AI than their parents. These insights come amid broader discussions about AI, specifically its influence in areas like social media, its potential for creating deepfakes, and other societal implications.
The survey emphasizes the limitations of existing political polls that often do not fully represent the voice of young Americans aged 13 to 18. Rachel Hanebutt, an assistant professor at Georgetown University’s Thrive Center, who assisted in the analysis of the poll, highlights the importance of understanding not only how teens utilise AI but what they envision for its future role.
The poll surfaced concerns about immediate AI risks with misinformation generated by AI posing the greatest worry (59% of respondents), closely followed by deepfakes (58%). Additionally, the survey reveals that 47% of young people are apprehensive about the long-term trajectory of AI, particularly the potential for advanced AI to operate beyond human control. Future career considerations are influenced by AI implications for nearly two-thirds of participants.
Despite these concerns, the survey uncovered a level of acceptance towards AI’s creative capabilities. A majority of respondents (57%) expressed support for AI-generated art, film, and music, with only a fraction opposing it (26%). Conversely, the notion of AI companionship received mixed opinions, with 46% finding it acceptable, yet a strong stance was taken against romantic relationships with AI (68% opposed).
Sneha Revanur, founder and president of Encode Justice, underscores the survey's significance as the most comprehensive evaluation of youth attitudes towards AI to date. This data solidifies the voice of a generation eager to influence and participate in policy discussions. Revanur refers to the recent California Senate Bill 1047's veto as a missed opportunity to address these young voices’ concerns about AI safety—a veto despite the bill's support from a diverse coalition ranging from technology industries to labour unions and Hollywood actors.
Overall, this survey highlights a burgeoning consensus among American youth about the critical need for regulatory frameworks to address AI's potential risks, outlining a generational viewpoint towards both caution and excitement regarding the technology's future.
Source: Noah Wire Services