A new MassINC Polling Group survey of 1,264 registered Massachusetts voters, sponsored by Anthropic, found that 65 percent are more concerned about AI’s dangers than excited about its potential. Only 16 percent said they are excited about what AI can do for humanity.
Among those with concerns, job loss and economic disruption topped the list at 32 percent, followed by loss of skills or overreliance on AI and the spread of misinformation, both at 16 percent. Environmental impact from data centers and misuse of AI power each ranked at 15 percent.
Usage of AI tools is split roughly in half. 39 percent use tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot daily or several times a week, while 27 percent said they have not used any AI tool in the past year. Despite the concerns, 80 percent said they have heard a great deal or a fair amount about AI, and 72 percent are at least somewhat familiar with generative AI tools.
78 percent of voters worry more about the dangers of failing to regulate AI than about rules slowing tech innovation. 59 percent said the government should oversee AI companies that deploy models with serious risks, and only 23 percent trust companies to police themselves. Two-thirds want Massachusetts to act now rather than wait for Washington to assemble federal guidelines.
