By a 6-to-1 Margin (62% to 11%), Voters Support Musk’s Vision of Building AI Infrastructure While Managing Catastrophic Risks Instead Of Hands-Off Approach Favored By Marc Andreesen

As industry leaders and everyday Americans alike anticipate the future of AI’s growth under the Trump administration, a new poll from the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute (AIPI) finds that voters overwhelmingly prefer Elon Musk’s balanced approach to AI development to arguments for a hands-off perspective expressed by venture capital leaders like Marc Andreessen. There is particularly high support for installing guardrails among Republican voters.

Specifically, the poll reveals that voters overwhelmingly favor Musk’s belief in simultaneously building AI infrastructure while implementing safety measures rather than pursuing unrestricted AI development, particularly as it relates to AGI (artificial general intelligence). When presented with competing visions, 62% of voters back Musk’s approach of focusing on catastrophic risks while building up AI infrastructure, compared to just 11% who supported a completely deregulated approach—an approach for which Marc Andreessen has advocated. An even higher share of Republicans finds this appealing, with 76% backing Musk’s balanced approach over Andreessen’s.

“The Republican voters recognize the need to advance U.S. AI capabilities. At the same time, they are unwilling to sacrifice safety and national security in the process.” said Daniel Colson, Executive Director of AIPI. “Elon Musk’s past public posture, which blends innovation with caution, clearly resonates with the electorate in this latest data.”

Key Poll Findings:

• • Bipartisan Agreement on Catastrophic Risks: 75% of voters—including 76% of both Democrats and independents—agree that Trump should prioritize addressing catastrophic AI risks, such as cyberattacks or the misuse of AI by bad actors, over making it easier to build powerful AI models.
  • Strong Preference for Balanced Development: Voters are much more willing to support the deregulation of AI infrastructure if paired with safety testing. Additionally, safety testing specifically makes AI infrastructure more popular. 
    • When presented with policy options, 39% of voters, including 45% of Republicans and 41% of independents, support making it easier to build AI infrastructure if paired with mandatory safety testing, compared to only 6% supporting unrestricted development. 27% say, no matter what, the Trump administration shouldn’t make it easier to build infrastructure for large AI models–a result weighed down by Democratic voters. 29% of voters are unsure. 
  • Republican Voters Strongly Trust Musk on AI:
    • 81% of Republican voters support Musk devoting significant time to working with the Trump administration on AI policy
    • 60% of Republican voters prefer Trump listening to Musk over other AI executives on AI policy
  • Clear Priority on Safety Measures:
    • 75% of voters across party lines want to focus on catastrophic risks from AI that threaten national security, rather than solely focusing on easier model building (9%)
    • Among Republican voters, 74% prioritize safety over unrestricted development

• Safety vs. China Competition: By a 33-point margin, voters believe Trump’s priority on AI should be making sure the technology is safe over keeping the US ahead of China on AI—an 8-point margin with Republicans. 

“The message from voters is clear,” added Colson. “They want the Trump administration to pursue a path of American leadership in AI that does not come at the expense of safety and security. Elon Musk’s balanced approach of promoting innovation while managing catastrophic risks resonates strongly with voters on both sides of the aisle, but especially Republicans.”

About the Poll 

The poll surveyed 1,018 likely California voters on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14 2024, through online web panels. The margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points. The poll was conducted in English and weighted for education, gender, race, survey engagement, and 2020 election results.

See full toplines here.