Fox News Poll: Voters say go slow on AI development — but don’t know who should steer

A week after Time Magazine named the “Architects of AI” as Person of the Year, the latest Fox News national survey of registered voters finds broad support for careful development of artificial intelligence — yet little agreement on who should regulate it.

The poll, released Thursday, finds 8 in 10 voters favor a careful approach to developing AI to manage potential risks to the U.S., while 2 in 10 prefer rapid advancement to stay ahead of countries like China.

Although majorities across the board urge caution, women, Democrats, voters under age 30, liberals, and moms are more likely to support a slower pace, compared to men, Republicans, voters ages 65 and above, conservatives, and dads who support forging ahead.

Voters are divided over who should oversee the new technology, splitting between the tech industry itself (28%), state governments (26%), and Congress (24%). Few think the president should regulate it (11%), while about 1 in 10 don’t think it should be regulated at all.  

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While views are generally divided across demographic groups, it’s notable that men and voters 65+ prefer Congress take control of AI development, while women and younger voters think the tech industry should monitor its own creations.

Nearly half of voters (48%) use AI at least monthly — which is up 6 points since June — while a slight majority use it rarely, if at all (52%). Voters under age 30 are three times more likely to use AI monthly than those 65 and up.

Among monthly users, the most common purposes are for research and learning new things (24%), asking questions (15%), professional tasks (12%), and writing assistance such as spelling, or grammar (10%). 

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As usage grows, however, so has concern. Sixty-three percent are extremely or very worried about AI — up 7 points from two years ago.

The increase in concern is widespread, but notable among voters under age 30 (+13 points), liberals (+13), independents (+11), Democrats, suburban and rural voters (+10 each), and women (+9).

Thinking about the financial impact, voters are twice as likely to believe AI will increase income inequality (44%) rather than decrease it (20%) over the next five years. One-third say it won’t make a difference (35%).

Voters earning $50,000 or more are more likely to say AI will widen the gap (49%) than those making under $50,000 (37%). And by nearly 20 points, voters under age 30 are more likely to think income inequality will increase (54%) than voters ages 65 and over (33%).

There is rare bipartisan agreement and no gender gap, with more than 4 in 10 Democrats, Republicans, independents, men, and women all expecting AI will widen the income gap.

One more thing…

Four in 10 AI users say they mind their manners when using the technology and politely say “please” and “thank you,” but 6 in 10 skip the pleasantries.

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Women more than men, younger voters more than people 65 and up, and independents more than Democrats or Republicans use social niceties when interacting with AI.

Conducted Dec. 12-15, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,001 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (116) and cellphones (630) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (255). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.