US Midterms: Out-of-Control AI Becomes Key Voting Issue Across Party Lines

Yesterday’s US midterm elections were a clear signal that tech is now a key issue in the world’s most influential democracy. And it is not a divisive one: Americans across the board are voting against out-of-control tech.

Society is not ready for superhuman AI, and in yesterday’s midterm elections, U.S. voters sent that message loud and clear. 57% of voters think AI will hurt society, compared to only 24% who think it will help. This is not a partisan issue: it’s a question of basic human rights and human survival. Nobody consented to frontier labs racing recklessly to build smarter-than-human AI. Polls and a growing movement to pause AI point the same way: politicians who gamble with humanity’s survival, or with the things that make our lives worth living, should expect voters to turn against them.

Maxime Fournes, CEO of the global grassroots federation PauseAI, said:

“Few issues in recent history have united people across party lines like opposition to reckless and undemocratic AI development. Polls have been telling us that citizens around the globe are strongly opposed to it, and the world’s most influential democracy has confirmed this at the ballot box. Make no mistake: these elections are a resounding defeat for those who are racing to recklessly build a dangerous technology that we, the people, reject.”

“Experts warn that advanced AI could end all life on Earth. Meanwhile, people are already feeling the impacts: data centres in their backyards, deepfakes, cyberattacks, surveillance, autonomous weapons deployed with their taxes, algorithms deciding their lives, and jobs disappearing.”

“43% of US midterm voters claim they currently trust neither party to handle AI. That is an opening for any politician willing to listen. Citizens want democratic oversight and uncompromising limits to bring AI under control before it’s too late.”

“The world is moving fast, and our window to pause the out-of-control development of AI is not going to last long. People are waking up, and that gives us hope. Now their representatives must wake up too, and publicly back a global pause on advanced AI development.”

About PauseAI

PauseAI is a civil society organisation with chapters and groups in more than 20 countries. We are concerned citizens from around the world coordinating peacefully to form a focused, united constituency demanding a global pause on the development of advanced AI until we know how to build it safely.

PauseAI România

Sources & References:

• • Polling data source: NBC News