New Poll: California Voters, Including Tech Workers, Strongly Support AI Regulation Bill SB1047

An overwhelming majority of California voters, including those working in the tech industry, support Senate Bill 1047, which would require advanced AI companies to conduct safety tests and create liability for catastrophic harm, according to a new poll by the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute (AIPI).

 

Key findings from the poll:

  • 59% of California voters support SB 1047, while only 20% oppose it. Support is even higher among Democrats (71%) and independents (51%).
  • 64% of voters who work in the tech industry support the policy, compared to only 17% who oppose it.
  • 74% of voters, including 83% democrats and 66% republicans support requiring safety measures for advanced AI models to prevent hazardous capabilities and risks to public safety. This includes 71% of tech workers. 
  • 73% support mandating cybersecurity protections, testing, safety protocols, and risk management for high-risk AI models. Among tech workers, 77% support this measure.
  • 70% support holding developers of large models liable for catastrophic harms caused by their models. 60% of tech workers agree.
  • 73% support requiring AI companies to test large models to determine whether they’re capable of catastrophic harm. 70% of tech workers back this requirement.
  • 57% of voters agree more with arguments from supporters of the bill, compared to only 16% who agree more with opponents’ arguments. Even among tech workers, 65% agree more with supporters’ arguments.

 

The survey also found that 52% of voters think Governor Newsom should sign SB1047 if it passes the legislature, while only 14% think he should veto it. Notably, 64% of tech workers support Newsom signing the bill.

Additionally, 57% of voters believe California should lead on regulating AI, compared to just 16% who think California should avoid harsh regulations. Tech workers show similar sentiment, with 59% supporting California’s leadership in AI regulation.

“This poll makes it abundantly clear that California voters, including tech workers, support safe AI development and strong regulatory oversight,” said Daniel Colson, Executive Director of the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute. “Voters from across the political spectrum—and professional backgrounds—overwhelmingly back public policy that ensures AI safety and prevents catastrophic harm. Policymakers must take note of this decisive public mandate for AI regulation.”

 

About the Poll 

The poll surveyed 1,000 California voters online on July 9. The survey was conducted in English, and its margin of error is ±5.2 percentage points.

See full toplines and crosstabs here.

 

About the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute

The Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute is an AI policy and research think tank founded by Daniel Colson to advocate for ethical oversight of AI for mitigating potential catastrophic risks posed by AI. AIPI’s core mission is to demonstrate that the general public has valid concerns about the future of AI and is looking for regulation and guidance from their elected representatives. If politicians want to represent the American people effectively, they must act aggressively to regulate AI’s next phases of development. AIPI seeks to work with the media and policymakers to inform them of the risks of artificial intelligence and develop policies that mitigate risks from emerging technology while still benefiting from artificial intelligence.

While much of the public discussion has been oriented around AI’s potential to take away jobs, AIPI will be focused on centering the importance of policies designed to prevent catastrophic outcomes and mitigate the risk of extinction. Currently, most of the AI space comprises those with a vested interest in advancing AI or are academics. The AI space lacks an organization to both gauge and shape public opinion on the issues—as well as to recommend legislation on the matter— and AIPI will fill that role. 

Ultimately, policymakers are political actors, so the country needs an institution that can speak the language of public opinion sentiment. AIPI’s mission is about being able to channel how Americans feel about artificial intelligence and pressure lawmakers to take action.

AIPI will build relationships with lawmakers by using polling to establish AIPI as a subject matter expert on AI safety and policy issues. Politicians are incentivized to support AI slowdown policies due to the strong majority of voters supporting slowdown and regulation. But AI is currently less salient as a political issue than other topics, as so far, there have only been moderate impacts from emerging AI tech. 

AI technological advancement is and will continue to be an evolving situation, and politicians, the media, and everyday Americans need real-time information to make sense of it all. AIPI’s polling will show where people stand on new developments and provide crucial policy recommendations for policymakers.