The warning signs arrived before the political consensus did. The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research surveyed 2,140 U.S. adults from Sept. 24 to 28, finding that 64% believe artificial intelligence is developing “too fast.” Just 27% said the pace was about right, while 8% said it was too slow.¹

That unease cuts across party lines, even as the arguments about what to do next diverge. Roughly eight in 10 adults said it is extremely or very important for the federal government to keep AI under human control and protect the workforce. For Ron Theusch, a Minnesota truck driver, the threat is tangible: he imagines “a train of self-driving trucks 24/7” replacing workers like him.¹

The survey lands amid a national push to build out AI systems and the data centers behind them. President Donald Trump has resisted slowing development, arguing that the U.S. cannot cede an advantage to China. But the poll suggests that many Americans are unwilling to treat the race with Beijing as the overriding priority: fewer respondents rated competition with China as highly important than rated human control, jobs, environmental harm or economic growth.¹

Partisan differences remain clear. Democrats were more likely to say AI is moving too fast and to prioritize reducing environmental damage; Republicans were more likely to emphasize economic growth and international competition. Yet neither party earns much public confidence: about four in 10 Americans said they trust neither Democrats nor Republicans to handle AI.¹

Stephanie Stewart, a Utah teacher who uses AI in her work, captured the tension: “You’ve got to protect kids. You’ve got to protect teens. You’ve got to protect privacy … we need to try to do something.”¹ The public’s message is not a rejection of AI. It is a demand that speed not become a substitute for control.