Trump supporters and Christians are the most worried that AI is an existential threat to humanity, poll says

• 61% of American adults say AI poses an existential threat to humanity, per a Reuters and Ipsos poll.
• Respondents who voted for Donald Trump and identify as Evangelicals were most concerned about AI.

Americans are worried about the risks artificial intelligence could pose on society — and Trump supporters and Christians are the most concerned.

A new poll from Reuters and Ipsos found that 61% of American adults believe AI poses an existential threat to humanity — nearly three times the number of respondents who disagreed with the statement.

The perception of AI's dangers seems to differ across party lines. 70% respondents who voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election believe AI poses risks to civilization. 60% of respondents who voted for Joe Biden agreed.

Religion may also plays a role in how the tech is perceived. 32% of Evangelical Christians surveyed "strongly agree" that AI can be dangerous for society, compared to 24% of non-Evangelical Christians who feel the same way.

The poll's findings come as generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT take the world by storm. In just two months, more than 100 million users have flocked to the chatbot, some using it to make their work and lives easier.

However, many critical of AI worry the tech may empower cybercriminals, encourage students to cheat, and even replace jobs.

In fact, tech leaders like Microsoft's Bill Gates have been sounding the alarm around the potential dangers of AI.

Geoffrey Hinton, the "Godfather of AI" who recently quit Google to raise awareness around AI's risks, believes AI poses a "more urgent" threat to humanity than climate change. Elon Musk said AI is "a danger to the public," more so than faulty aircraft design or bad car production, according to an interview he did with Fox News in April.

To mitigate the potential risks of AI, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, urged the US government this week to create an agency that oversees AI projects to ensure they are safely deployed.